


Goodbye Blue Sky

by Galaxsphere347



Category: Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: The Next Generation (Movies)
Genre: Aliens, Androids, Fluff and Smut, Multi, Outer Space, Robophobia, Suicide Attempt, Sweet/Hot, Unplanned Pregnancy, Unrequited Love, Visions in dreams
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:14:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 52,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28672086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galaxsphere347/pseuds/Galaxsphere347
Summary: The sequel to The Paradox of Love and Hate. Melissa Rondor and her crewmates travel to the far reaches of the Beta Quadrant with two fugitive androids, aiming to protect them from the Federation-wide ban on synthetic life.Melissa is still grieving for her late partner Lieutenant Commander Mythos Asha. She continues to battle her personal demons but is determined to conquer them.During her rollercoaster journey Melissa experiences psychological struggles, steamy sexual encounters, betrayal leading to a life changing event and finally true love and contentment from the most unlikely source. Simultaneously she and her crew explore an unchartered area of space and encounter an extraordinary alien species and a new world.This story is set in the timeline post Nemesis and just prior to the beginning of Star Trek Picard. It also features the return of Data but not quite as he appeared on the Enterprise.As this is very much a work in progress it is likely I will be updating tags and amending posted chapters as I go along.
Relationships: B-4 (Star Trek)/Original Character(s), Data (Star Trek)/Original Female Character(s), Original android character/Original Female Character
Comments: 99
Kudos: 9





	1. Preface

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MayRaven1798](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayRaven1798/gifts), [Cerephone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cerephone/gifts), [CelticLady](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelticLady/gifts), [strangeworks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangeworks/gifts).



This story follows on from ‘The Paradox of Love and Hate’ and continues Melissa Rondor’s extraordinary journey through time, space, life and love.

Following the admission by Altan Inigo Soong and the cyberneticists on Ghulian IV that her android lover, the late Lieutenant Commander Mythos Asha cannot be revived, Melissa tries to put the past behind her and adjust to a new life with her friend and crewmates aboard the modified trade vessel, Papillon. 

On Altan Soong’s request the Papillon's pilot, former Starfleet lieutenant Ged Calloway has agreed to offer sanctuary to two of Noonian Soong’s creations following a Federation-wide ban on creating or harbouring any synthetic lifeforms.

One is the resurrected prototype B4, who was given a new body following Altan Soong’s appropriation of his positronic brain from the Daystrom Institute. This contained both his own neural net and the Data matrix downloaded into it in 2379 by Data and Geordi LaForge.

The other is the mysterious A’kran, who has intimated to Melissa that he is the ‘mark 2’ version of Data. However although shocked by this revelation Melissa still suspects he could possibly be a covert Human imposter, given his assertion sounds too implausible to be true. Although she knows very little about Data, she is aware that he was completely destroyed during the battle of Bassen Rift.

Together with Melissa and her crewmates they are heading to the far reaches of the Beta Quadrant, a largely unchartered area of dark space, in order to escape being found and apprehended by the Federation. They know the consequence of this is they must exist as fugitives until such time the ban is relaxed.

Melissa meanwhile battles to rebuild her shattered life but continues to struggle with her demons. She finds existence in this barren deep space environment challenging at best and painfully monotonous at worst. Although focused on adventure the story also delves deeply into Melissa’s troubled psyche, revealing more about her background and the reasons for her behaviour. With support from an unexpected source, she fights to finally overcome her fears of AI and come to terms with the tragedies in her life as well as striving to be a better person.

There are some surprise turn of events in the story which I have endeavoured to present in the most logical and believable light as is possible, while stretching my imagination to think 'outside of the box' so to speak. After all, this is sci fi and the whole beauty of the genre is its endless possibilities and permeatations which can be explored without the boundaries of 'real life' butting in.

I have loosely based Data 2.0 on the version in the David Mack ‘Cold Equations’ trilogy and Jeffery Lang’s book ‘The Light Fantastic’ so I must credit and thank them both for borrowing the concept. I will stress however that I have not copied their character nor used any of their storylines.

The trade off for resurrecting Data is that he cannot be like he was before. His personality is now tempered by an edge and his innocence and curiosity is gone. He has emotions but chooses to control them like a Vulcan. His memories from his first life are basically intact, so he remembers the affection of his friends aboard the Enterprise and events which took place, including the negativity shown to him by Starfleet as an android being. Consequently, his new set of emotions has led him to be wary and cynical in a way he never was before and his foolproof Human appearance and adroit awareness of his abilities and intellect gives him an air of superiority which alienates him from more 'ordinary' people.

The main title and chapter headings are Pink Floyd songs, many of which have influenced and inspired me over the years with their brooding, reflective and multifarious themes.

I chose 'Goodbye Blue Sky' for the title of this work as being in space and on the run so to speak it is unlikely that the crew and passengers on the Papillon will see the hue of a planetary sky for some time. It also vaguely alludes to the song 'Blue Skies' which is strongly linked to Data and crops up in both Nemesis and ST Picard. 

The ideas for the Belloids and The Venerated Parthenon Configuration are from my husband, who unlike myself has the privilege of experiencing vivid and imaginative dreams (probably due to his Ancient Mayan heritage.) 

The timeline runs from Earth date mid-2385 to several years before the start of ‘ST Picard’. As in my previous work, I am filling the void between post Nemesis and pre ST Picard, which has not (yet) been explored while linking certain events to the canon universe. In essence I would sum up my world as a Next Generation spin off, as while it is not focussed on canon characters, they are referenced. My aim is ultimately to preserve the essence of TNG through the eyes of new protagonists, which I hope I have managed to achieve.

Finally, as always I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters which belong to CBS and Paramount, and am not seeking any financial gains from this work.

Please read without prejudice and I hope everyone who does enjoys the ride….


	2. A Saucerful of Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two organics and two androids beam onto a modified transporter ship. Melissa discovers that someone is not quite what they seem and conversations don't go the way she expects.

Four individuals materialised in the cargo bay of the modified trader ship called the Papillon. 

They had just beamed up from an android home world on Ghulian IV after receiving intelligence that the Planitia Utopia shipyards on Mars had been destroyed in a devastating attack, allegedly by a synthetic labour force turned rogue. 

Gaiian Melissa Urd Rondor and her friend a Bajoran called Nel Ora were accompanied by two artificial lifeforms - a pale faced android named B4 along with the furtive A’kran Soong, who claimed to be their ‘brother’. On the entreaty of Altan Inigo Soong, a gifted cyberneticist cloaked in notoriety, Melissa had agreed to give them sanctuary and immunity from a potential Federation backlash.

She gave a nod to Ora and B4 to make their way to the living quarters. She had a lot of explaining to do with her crewmates Ged Calloway and Elim Rigby, but would get around to that later.  


Right now there was a more pressing engagement - she wanted to confront this A’kran Soong alone and in private. She composed herself and rehearsed what she was about to say, but before she could utter a word his abrupt address to her broke the ice, “Is there a space on this ship which I can utilise as a laboratory?” He inquired curtly.

He wasn’t as tall as Mythos Asha, her deceased android lover but his presence exuded more than enough empowerment and confidence. His sheer impact intimidated her. He carried a hard case, evidently containing cybernetics equipment.

Mel paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, remembering the three unused cell-like rooms at the vessel’s stern end. “I believe so.” She answered in a mirrored tone.

“I assume you have a replicator?” He continued in the same manner.

“Yes we do.”

“Good. What are its specifications?”

“Erm sorry?”

“What can it produce?” He sounded almost irritated.

“Almost anything I believe.” Mel shrugged, hedging that this was the best answer.

“That is acceptable. If I need anything else I will have to go incognito on Freecloud to seek it out.” 

This last statement mystified Mel, but given the implications she quickly responded, “Won’t that be risky?”

“I will have to take my chances.” His stiff expression had not altered. 

Mel thought it an opportune moment to switch the inquiry to him. “So tell me Mr A’kran, sorry Data. How did this come about? Why the Humanface? Why didn’t they rebuild you in your original form, like B4?”

“It was Altan’s idea,” he replied guardedly ”He wanted to give me what I most desired.”

“To be more…Human?” Mel faltered, remembering what Mythos had told her many months ago.

“In a way, yes.”

“By Fractal Neuronic Cloning?” She ventured, curiosity now taking over.

”No.” His delivery was flat and terse.

“I am relieved – at least it means there is no Evil Twin to worry about. The last thing we need is another Lore.” Mel chuckled and tried to lighten the comment with a ghost of a smile.

“I agree.” A'kran nodded, still maintaining the obstinate poker face.

“Why ARE you here anyhow?” Mel probed, “Surely you can look after yourself? You are smart enough aren’t you?”

A'kran's eyes fixed on her with an impassive yet unsettling glare, “My primary duty is to take care of B4. He needs regular supervision and diagnostics checks to ensure he is functioning normally and to establish that his heuristics are developing as expected. Plus he needs to stay calm to avoid cascade failure.”

“Does he know you are Data?”

“Not exactly. He knows me simply as A’kran, his brother and his doctor. His only recollection of me in my first life is when I brought him onto the Enterprise, when I and Commander LaForge were running tests on him.” 

“This was before you were destroyed on the Scimitar?” Mel inquired trepidly.

“Correct. We thought his positronic net had been corrupted by a Romulan rootkit and was so badly damaged from his time in the Reman mines we would need to shut him down.  
“If he brings this to recall he becomes very distressed so in order to avoid any malfunctions I will not use my real name in front of him for the time being.”

“I understand," Mel acknowledged. "And are you happy that my friend Ora seems to be involved with him in a romantic way?”

A’kran imparted a neutral look, no smile, no frown, no surprise, “I have observed their interactions and see no reason why this should be a problem.” He confirmed.

“So what can you do here on the ship? Are you able to assist us or will you stay in your lab?”

“I graduated from the Starfleet Academy with honours in probability mechanics and exobiology and I served 42 years in Starfleet before the end of my first life. I possess sound navigation skills to help you avoid hazards in the far edges of space, I can offer counsel on alien species and how to avoid confrontation with them – notably the Belloids. Additionally with my extensive engineering knowledge I can assist with ship repairs and maintenance. So to answer your question yes, I can help you.”

“Why didn’t you return to Starfleet?” Mel had to ask, and A’kran focused on her with hard, gimlet eyes.

“Starfleet has changed as an organisation since my first life, it no longer represents what it once stood for," he replied. "It has become corrupted and suspicious. 

" I too however have changed. When I was resurrected in my present form I sent an encrypted comms transmission to Lieutenant Commander Geordi LaForge. I felt I owed it to him as he was my best friend aboard the Enterprise. I explained the situation but swore him to secrecy not to mention my existence to anyone else on the ship or in Starfleet. "

" Why? "

" Because I am not the android they once knew. I felt it wrong that they should see this new creation and associate me with the old Data. I was also wary of the motives of certain high ranking officers in Starfleet Command. I will admit that at times I have considered coming clean and renewing my commission, but now obviously that is no longer an option."

Mel sighed awkwardly. She could think of no further question to continue this uncomfortable exchange, and with a small guarded smile signalled that their dialogue was at an end. A’kran/Data continued to regard her coolly before he finally counselled her in that same unwavering measured tone – “I would ask respectfully that you keep this conversation to yourself, is that clear?”

“Crystal,” replied Melissa with a curt nod. 

This guy seemed inscrutible, almost hostile. He was certainly not giving out any congenial vibes and Mel sensed that he had quite a few secrets hidden away which he was in no hurry to divulge. Life on board the ship was about to become interesting and that was an understatment.

******************************

“Can you kindly tell me what is happening?” Calloway growled accusingly at Mel, “You just bring your guests on here without my consent like it was some pleasure ship headed for Risa?”

Her two crewmates were not impressed by the decision to bring the two would-be fugitives aboard.

“Listen I can explain,” Mel implored “You have probably heard about the attack on Mars.”

“Who hasn’t? It is all over the bloody quadrant and probably the whole Galaxy by now!” Calloway ranted.

“Well Doctor Soong asked if we could take charge of his two brothers.”

“Brothers? I am sorry if I have missed something here but they are androids. What's the game here Mel?"

" Erm, it's a bit complicated, " She replied sheepishly. 

" Listen Mel, if word gets out we have them as passengers we could be in it up to our necks. The Federation has black marked and outlawed them.” 

“Yes Calloway I know, but Soong promised that he would try to fix Mythos if we did him this favour.” 

“Huh I thought there had to be some ulterior motive. You cannot stand the sight of synths let alone share a ship with them. How are you going to cope with your phobia?”

“My Grimwold’s? I can handle it I promise. You know I would do anything if it means getting Mythos back.” Her face bore complete sincerity.

“And what does it entail?” Rigby joined the debate, but was much less annoyed as they didn’t own the ship.

“We stay in the Beta quadrant but go to the far reaches of uncharted dark space and apparently we will be safe there.”

“But this situation could last for years.” complained Calloway, “We can’t stay there indefinitely, and who knows what could be out there. You need a reality check Mel you haven’t thought this through properly at all have you?”

The ball was firmly in her court now and Mel was struggling for an answer, but remembering her recent exchange with A'kran/Data she quickly reacted:

“We do have one advantage Mr Calloway. This guy A’kran. He is really clued up and says he can help us. He also seems to know a lot about this region of space.” Mel hoped she hadn't broken A'kran's confidence with this display of impertinence.

Calloway reluctantly conceded with an exasperated sigh through his nose, “Well I suppose I could use some help in keeping this tub space-worthy.”

“Thanks Calloway, Rigby," Mel beamed at each of her crewmates in turn, "I knew you’d understand in the end.”

“No 'thanks' just yet Mel, I will reserve judgement until we actually put this into practice. But if it all goes wrong I am going to hold you personally responsible.” Calloway's warning was perfunctory.

Mel nodded sheepishly and left the small bridge, 'What the stars have I got myself into?' she thought archly to herself as she made her way to her cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this sets the scene but I honestly don't know where things will lead to in the end. I have several options but still not decided which to run with ;-))


	3. Hey You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mel and A'kran (Data) do not seem to be seeing eye to eye at all. She continues to wonder if he is who he says he is and devises a plan to break the icy barrier between them.

Exactly as he had promised, almost immediately A’kran put himself to good use supporting the crew - plotting their course and imparting valuable information on the unchartered sectors they were about to enter, and assisting Rigby with engineering schematics and diagnostics. The ship carried few weapons but with A’kran’s help Rigby ensured that they were calibrated to their maximum capacity.

Together they also upgraded the replicators and the main computer consoles, and carried out maintenance on the life support systems and gravity simulation. As Calloway remarked delightedly, “This lady is running as sweetly as a song.”

A’kran’s knowledge spanned many fields and was clearly astounding. It seemed he could turn his hand to anything and carried out a myriad of tasks from grunt work to complex mechanical technicalities with aplomb and confidence. Rigby and Calloway were impressed and glad to have him on board. 

Melissa however was less enamoured. She had given him the benefit of the doubt as to whether her impressions were correct that he was a conceited know-all , ‘Don’t judge,’ she reproached herself repeatedly but as time passed it seemed she was right - he was one rude and obnoxious individual. Towards her anyway.

He hardly spoke to her at all, it was as if he thought she was beneath him. As she had imparted to Ora on Ghulian IV he probably had very high standards in how his lovers looked and what he expected from them intellectually, and evidently Mel did not live up to his expectations.

It wasn’t as if she was trying to hit on him, she went out of her way to show she wasn’t but it didn’t matter. He remained as aloof as some venerated celestial divinity. 

Mel mentioned it to Ora who did point out that while he seemed more polite and talkative towards her he didn't build any strong rapport with her either, “That's probably because I am with with B4,” she deduced, and both agreed that his only interest outside his role as makeshift operations officer on the ship appeared to be the welfare of B4.

“Do you think he might be an imposter?” Mel idly wondered if A’kran was hiding something really significant and wasn’t telling.

“What do you mean?” Ora, frowned, now perplexed.

“Like could he really be Human not an android?”

“What makes you think that?”

“He doesn’t look or act at all like one.” Mel replied, “Maybe he is using this Data thing as a cover and has some ulterior motive to be in this remote part of space? Let’s face it Altan Soong seems sneaky enough so who’s to say A’kran is not up to something?”

“I can’t see how, but you are right in that he does look very Human. Much more than Bee.”

That was the glaring issue here. A’kran seemed so very unsettlingly REAL and Mel noted that his condescending personality was conspicuously Terran. Compared to Mythos, who for all his exemplary human qualities still had a trace of ethical deference in his programming, A’kran was void of any trace of compliant docility which only served to fuel her doubts.

She let her suspicions drop however, but did note a couple of star dates later that A’kran had begun setting up his lab in one of the vacant bunkers in the stern. Nobody dared disturb him, especially Mel, who made a point of giving him a very wide berth. 

She instinctively felt that something was going on but wisely kept her counsel to herself. Maybe he knew she was wary of him or knew of her past destructive actions against synthetics? If he did it hardly mattered.

********************************

After the initial hopes Mel had sustained of Mythos being restored reality sunk in that this was not going to happen perhaps for a very long time. She began to feel lonely and bored and was soon sullen and withdrawn once more.

Her main source of ill feeling was how close Ora was getting to B4. Mel noticed she was spending more time with him now than with her and she resented it. Why should her best friend place an android above her? What in the Universe did she see in him? Okay he was cute but in her opinion could be quite needy at times and wasn’t exactly Einstein either.

It was uncomfortable seeing them together at mealtimes when he consumed nothing apart from the odd cup of nutrient fluid and even more so hearing his enthusiastic vocalising during their lovemaking. The latter was particularly irksome, as Mel really didn’t want to hear B4 cry out: “Aaah I’m cooomiing!” when all she wanted to do was get a few hours’ decent sleep.

On one particular occasion Mel had noticed the voyeuristic little toerag had actually left their cabin door open slightly, inviting her whether intentionally or not to witness their intimate acts – he kissing and fondling her, she reacting enthusiastically, tugging off his undershirt to reveal his smooth white bioplast torso and running her hands over it. It made Mel wince but Ora didn’t seem to mind at all. Before Mel knew it they were intertwining limbs, he grinding her against the bulkhead of the ship before sense prevailed and they locked the cabin door. What she had seen was enough however….

Two, three weeks passed and the routine changed little. Mel went through a phalanx of books, composed a few bars on her keyboard and doodled on her PADD. She couldn’t carve as she didn’t have the materials at her disposal, but neither was she inspired, it was if her creative force had been extinguished and fizzled out to nothing. 

Finally one day while going through her music files she was hit with a flash of inspiration. Why not get everyone together and have a small dance party? It would certainly boost morale and break the monotony of these long dark days which were truthfully one long never ending night. 

She knew Ora and B4 would agree and she could possibly twist Rigby’s arm (they weren't such a workaholic as they made out). Calloway could activate the recently installed autopilot but her masterplan was to persuade A’kran to join them. This would break the ice and prove without doubt whether his aversion to pop culture and his stubbornly pompous demeanour was as obdurate as it appeared. 

As she explored her archives, flicking through the hundred or so years when the myriad pop genres had their heyday on Earth, she pondered on the possible outcome of this little scheme. She whipped out her PADD and composed a slightly mischievous but polite invite to everyone including the frosty android/Human. Was she being foolish in involving him? Possibly, but this was one sure fire way to put him on the spot once and for all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So will A'kran accept the invitation? Or will he decline and sustain his distant and aloof stance?


	4. Party Sequence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A get together to relieve the boredom of space travel turns into a mini spat. Emotions are running hot....

The day of the party arrived and while most on board accepted Mel's invite, agreeing it was a fantastic way to kill the boredom, there was typically no response from the elusive A’kran.

In all honesty Mel had expected this and found it no small surprise that this day he seemed more obnoxious than he usually was. He had strode onto the bridge earlier with that pompous swaggering pose and had the audacity to ask her if there was a holodeck on the ship which he could use for cybernetics simulations. 

“What do you think this is the fucking Captain’s Yacht?” Mel had giggled with a perhaps overstated hint of snark, but then A’kran proceeded to berate her for some omission she had made in the stellar cartography projections and it was enough to make her turn on him.

“Why don’t you go fly your kite!” she spat, cutting her eyes at him. ”Obviously you think your string of impressive qualifications makes you superior to informally educated clunks like me!”

“I am sorry?”

“Listen there are better ways to tell someone they are shite at something than being so condescending. We are not all bloody Einstein you know.”

A’kran threw her a pursed lipped expression, the one she hated. It was the trigger to really set her off.

“Why do you have to be so uptight, so ANAL?” She snarled, her anger rising. “You are always having a go at me. Do you have some sort of grudge or do I simply annoy you? 

“That is not the case at all. I see you as a competent crew member like your fellows but we all can benefit from additional knowledge and guidelines.” A’kran was unflappable in contrast to Mel’s irrational outburst. “I am sorry if you feel I am singling you out. I can assure you that is not the intention.” 

And then like a Stafleet Captain delivering a blistering pep talk he raised both eyebrows with the hint of a smirk as if to convey “Do we understand each other?”

Mel had no answer but made sure she threw A'kran her most truculent of scowls before flouncing away.

****************************************

Ora and Mel prepared the ship’s rest area for their planned soiree, replicating some Terran 1990s era buffet food along with the synthanol versions of popular drinks from the same time period. Mel had suggested a 90s theme as she used dance music from that era in her routines in Idyllwild on Gaiia, so thought it fitting. 

Once everything was ready, the two women went to change into their outfits. Mel had chosen a shimmering animal print catsuit with feathers adorning the neckline, while Ora decided on a silver bodycon mini dress. 

When they arrived back at the recreation area to Mel’s astonishment she saw that everyone had turned up even the elusive A’kran, who looked the same as always, right down to his impassive expression.

Mel found it oddly curious that Calloway, Rigby and even B4 wore jumpsuits, but A’kran swanned around like some sort of 21st century pretty boy professor. Always in cargo pants and a dress shirt, sometimes with a long coat teamed with rather chi-chi calf length boots. Although she reluctantly admitted he looked good it was hardly practical. It was also an antithesis to his disorderly hairstyle, which she also wondered was some sort of contrived fashion statement.

Soon her ruminations were cast aside as she assumed the role of MC, choosing the music which was an eclectic mix of synthesizer tracks, singalong pop, dance and hip hop. Ora, Rigby, Calloway and B4 in his own inimitable way were happy to join in either singing or dancing, though Mel had to concede that B4’s atrocious dad dancing left a lot to be desired.

The mood was fuelled with copious amounts of synthanol, though Calloway wisely limited his intake, being the skipper, and only A’kran seemed determined to remain a detached observer on the fringes. He sat on one of the easy chairs away from the central activity, allowing himself the odd cursory glance at the merriment of his crewmates but clearly more preoccupied with his PADD.

It was as Mel was flicking through some vintage tracks that one in particular caught her attention, a humorous rap song from 1980s Earth, and noting its title and the antics of B4 she decided that a gentle wind-up would not go amiss in mocking her friend’s devotion for the silly android.

Everyone was high on adrenaline when Mel’s ‘let’s tease B4’ jape came into play - Ora and he were cuddling in the centre of the floor, Rigby and Calloway had been grooving to something called Hi NRG and were trying to catch their breath while Ak’ran continued to bury his head working through some schematics on his PADD, looking as ever serious and absorbed.

“Hey B4 I have a dedication for you” Mel suddenly announced and on cue called up the hip hop song on the computer, a barely disguised smirk on her face. 

'All rise!! It's Majesty.... Live and in concert. In the place to be, its Beeeee Fats!' 

B4 turned from Ora to glance across at Mel, a look of bemusement crossing his features as the song’s introduction blared out. Then Mel who knew the track word for word began to chant the lyrics:

‘Yo what's up how ya been? I'm B Fats and I'm back again.  
I gotta new dance that's just for you  
So listen up real close while I show you what to do  
First shuffle your feet from side to side  
And while you're shuffling your feet let your shoulders glide.  
Extend your arms kinda carefree while moving your shoulders simultaneously  
Grab your sides like they really ache  
Then put it all together you're lookin’ great  
This dance it ain't hard to do, a combination of the wop and the boogaloo.  
Jump on it, doggone it, it's my dance and I'm gonna flaunt it,  
Lightly, politely, possibility all nightly  
It's called the B Fats.... ‘

The dense hip hop rhythms reverberated around the bulkheads seeming to rattle every console and fixture on board, and compelling both Mel and Ora to groove along enthusiastically to it. 

B4 stood on the sidelines, maintaining his look of mild bewilderment but then as the words Mel was rapping out began to register with him his demeanour gradually changed. 

“I am not Fats!” He cried indignantly, which was the cue for Mel to begin tittering with amusement as B4 had evidently fallen for her joke big time.

She continued to act out the song with contrived actions, pointing to B4 as she did so, watching his face crease into a scowl as realisation dawned

‘The time is now the place is here come on pretty mama let's put it in gear  
It's about time to cut the crap, I want ya all on the floor when it's time to rap.  
Just clap your hands, stomp your feet and don't cha dare stop rocking til you reach your peak.  
Until now you never had a beat so sweet with Fats on the mic to make it all complete….’ 

Ora seemed oblivious to B4’s reactions seeing as she was caught up in the dance with Mel and clearly enjoying it. A'kran looked up briefly to silently convey his dislike of the music but sensing nothing noticeably untoward, returned to his esoteric perusals.

‘I'm the show stopper, the body rocker  
When it comes to make it sweet I'm like Betty Crocker  
Add a little bit of this a little bit of that  
Come up with the potion that'll put you on track.  
So next time that we meet, just chill to the max and bust a beat  
While down but now I'm back to complete with the funky fresh sound that can't be defeated…’

B4’s expression had now reduced to a sulky pout, which was quickly picked up by Mel and she could not resist winding him up further: “Hey come on lighten up silly Bee! You should be flattered you have a song about you.”

“It is not about me!” he countered angrily, almost looking like he was going to burst into tears.

‘……So gather round lets have some fun, don't ya act dumb when you're dead you're gone.  
Home boys get off the wall  
Fronting on your gold, standing tall  
It's time to party come on and move your body  
I'm the B Fats not lahdie dahdie  
Ladies, you're looking great but there's one thing that I really hate.  
When you come to a party acting real snotty  
Acting like the world revolves around your body  
Cut the ooh ah deal let's have some fun  
I'm king of the crop and I've just begun  
Get busy, my man don't you understand  
That a party's not a party if you don't move your booty  
I got the master plan it's called the B  
Fats….”

“Come on Bee Fatty 4 get dancing!” Laughed Mel as she continued to goad the android but his face was now like thunder. 

‘B Fats is my name and that's a fact  
You can't beat that with a baseball bat  
Chilling not illing could never be the wack  
So beam me up Scotty smoking the crack.  
I'm the Q crumb kid, reducing the cloud  
And I want the whole world to know that I am out  
To tranquillise your mind pretty mama stimulate your brain.  
So if you feel the way that I do, then we feel the same.  
So cut out all that fronting and put on your dancing shoes.  
Then grab yourself a partner and lead them to the floor  
I'm gonna make you forget your blues, while you're doing the B Fats...’

By now B4 was almost stimming, balling his fists and dragging his hand through his hair, messing it up. He was obviously trying to keep his temper under control and not use his strength. He was furious that Mel was mocking and ridiculing him like this while his girlfriend was doing nothing to stop her.

‘Such a slave to what you been cooking  
It's the right side know ya still movin' keep groovin' and chill to have some fun  
Money making Manhatten it's number one.  
We're goin' non stop hit the rooftop  
It's where we clap our hands and let our fingers pop  
Doin the B Fats all night long, bustin' out rhymes til the early morn  
So let's shake, rattle it's time to roll  
Let's do it under control  
I'm not here to tease ya I'm here to please ya  
So until the next time I'm gonna say see ya!  
Co's you're doin' the B Fats.... ‘

This was the stimulus B4 needed to finally lose his cool and with a screech of frustration he lunged at Mel, grabbing her by the shoulders and easily pulling her to the floor,

“Bee! Stop that now please!” Ora begged but no heed was paid to her as the pair engaged in a bout of rough and tumble, B4 rolling around with his hands on Mel's shoulders while she tried to push and kick him off, fisting his hair to yank his head back, serving to make it even messier if that was possible. There was a sudden clatter as several spoons fell out of his jumpsuit pockets and scattered along the floor.

It was the signal which finally compelled the pair to break free from each other, and they gingerly got up from the floor, brushing themselves down.

“What the stars….” Mel and Ora both looked at each other and burst out laughing, which did little to calm the already fraught atmosphere.

"Oh no, I forgot he has a thing about spoons," Ora chuckled.

"I had wondered why so many were missing from the mess room," Mel replied, totally baffled by the Android's eccentricity. 

B4 meanwhile still stood in the middle of the floor, jumpsuit askew and hair a total mess, clutching the spoons he had just picked up.

A'kran, alerted to the chaotic scene, got up from his seat to approach the miscreants and was clearly not amused.

"Melissa, I fail to understand the humour in this interaction with my brother and I would respectfully ask that you refrain from this idiot charade at once." His lips pursed and tightened disapprovingly. 

'Oh stars I love that look - not,' thought Mel grimly, giving him a defiant smirk.

“Did Mythos share your affection for that mindless cacophony?” A'kran inquired, a faint note of derision in his voice.

“As a matter of fact he did.” Mel responded cockily. “He liked my dance routines.”

A flicker of interest crossed A’kran’s face,” You were a dancer? How so? Classical ballet or modern?”

“Neither. Freestyle actually. I was mostly self-taught but did go to classes. On my home world I performed at a venue called Idyllwild.”

She saw the enthusiasm fade from A’kran’s smug face. “Just a folk talent then," he replied dismissively. “Idyllwild was a clip joint I assume?”

“No it was a reputable entertainment venue.” Mel fought to control the heat of anger rising in her.

A’kran’s face maintained its disdainful countenance, “That might be so but I find a high ranking Starfleet officer indulging in such lowbrow recreation both crass and unpolished.”

This slight against Mythos was enough to upset the already fragile détente Mel had maintained with A'kran, and she did not hesitate opening fire.

“Fuck you A’kran!” She yelled. “Why don’t you get that priggish, stuck up head of yours out of your arse? I ‘m sick of your snobbery and derision!”

A’kran merely threw her an ornery stare, akin to that of a disapproving school master.

Mel was fuelled with synthanol and his supercilious look was all it took to throw the overload switch. In a spilt second she had lunged at him, trying to scratch his face and then yanked his hair violently. “You piece of shit! You think ordinary people are beneath you but we're not all cheap and plebeian - I hate you!”

A’kran’s reaction remained cool. His stance conveying a hint of 'Do I care?'. He swiftly but calmly grabbed her wrists so they could do no further damage and guided her gently but firmly to one of the lounge seats. 

"Whoah! Just hold it there. It’s about time someone called you out you pompous idick. You want to be Human? Well, let me tell you, being ‘Human’ is not about a few geniuses and privileged individuals you might have been lucky enough to meet.”

A’kran fixed her with his iron stare, and her rancour began to subside. She sighed hard through her teeth. She knew her outburst would change nothing but she felt surprisingly better for it. Everyone else had been stunned into silence. 

“Humanity encompasses all manner of backgrounds, creeds, colours and beliefs, A’kran - not the insular view of a few scientists, musicians, writers and philosophers,” Mel continued, the venom gone from her voice as she realised it was futile. Nothing was going to get past this inscrutable chunk of bioplast, metal, servos and wires. "You disappoint me Mr Da-sorry Mr A’kran. Now you're officially a Starfleet exile I thought you might look at the bigger picture instead of just the blinkered view the elite drip fed you. Alas I was wrong.

"Of course my opinions won't mean jack shit to you with your inflated sense of self-importance will they?” Despite herself she could sense disappointment in her voice.

"Melissa I would kindly ask -" Their eyes met for a split second then he turned away, as cool as if he had brushed off a Terran house fly.

"No, let me finish…”

“I think you have said enough Mel, and what is all this about the Enterprise anyway? Who ARE you?” Rigby threw an accusing look at A’kran who tried to remain immutable.

It looked like the cat was out of the bag and his cover blown.

Suddenly it was forgotten as the ship jolted and shook violently. The viewscreen showed a grey swirling body of gas appear to cloak everything around it. 

“Oh stars, what the fuck is that? It can’t be the Belloids already!” A note of panic rose up in Mel and her fears quickly spread to the others on board, save for one….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The B Fats by The B Fats  
> Written by Will Bowden and Teddy Riley  
> Copyright Posse Records 1987


	5. Echoes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as the title suggests, some soul searching and echoes as Mel reflects on her bittersweet past.

“No it is not,” confirmed A’kran assuredly with a clipped expression. Mel was becoming tired of his superiority trips. 

“So what is causing all the disruption then?” she countered, wanting to add a sarcastic witticism but sensibly holding back.

“It is likely to be an insignificant graviton burst or a stream of plasma which has created an ionized distortion and disrupted the warp field, they are common in this vicinity.” A’kran replied in that infuriatingly neutral tone. “I can confidently assure you if the Belloids are active we should not encounter them until we reach figurative dark space.”

‘Mister fucking know it all….’ She snarked to herself but the calm impassiveness of the android seemed to allay everyone’s fears and soon the nerve wracking jolts and shakes subsided as the ship passed through the disturbance unharmed.

“I will check on the schematics just to make sure there is no damage.” A’kran added briskly, nodding to Rigby and Calloway before leaving the rest area. His spat with Mel had obviously been disregarded and his stance exuded his usual capability and flawless efficiency.

Furthermore Rigby's inquiry as to A'kran's identity appeared to be forgotten - for now at least. 

“Stars doesn't he EVER smile?” Mel muttered, when A'kran left, still infuriated by his inscrutable demeanour.

“Maybe it isn’t programmed into him.” Ora speculated. “ He certainly looks pretty serious most of the time so perhaps that is how he and his creators preferred it.”

“Hm, that’s feasible,” Mel agreed, “Yet he definitely HAS emotions, just not the positive ones. it seems that whatever abilities the original Data possessed have evolved into a hubris with him."

“I don’t have any opinion one way or the other on that,” Ora replied, “But I will agree he isn’t the most demonstrative of people.”

“From what Mythos told me I think the original Soong androids had an issue with facial expression,” Mel added. “I don’t think Noonian Soong whoever he was ever got that quite right. There was obviously a reason Data never smiled much and stars only knows what that freak called Lore was like with his emotive displays.”

“Well Bee certainly has no problem and he is a Soong android,” Ora countered defensively and as if on cue her boyfriend appeared to give her an affectionate squeeze with a perfectly natural though innocent smile.

Reluctantly Mel had to agree that he was the exception, along with her deceased lover Mythos Asha of course, but the former had been refashioned and the latter created anew in the vision of three cyberneticists and things had moved on in the 50 years since Soong the elder had produced his first prototypes.

“Anyway your point is?” Ora was a little exasperated that Mel seemed to be eschewing the empirical evidence of B4’s facial expression function in a deliberately spiteful manner.

“Sometimes I think instinctive behaviours cannot be replicated in an artificial construct. Micro expressions are so nuanced that no android is ever going to appear the same as an organic being. Maddox’s A500 drones were a perfect example but at least they are gone now.” 

Ora declined to respond, and simply leaned into B4 as if to silently convey that Mel’s words would not detract from her feelings towards him.  


Mel, suspecting it was a fitting juncture to end their discourse, excused herself and went to her cabin. 

***********************************************

The subject of Mythos, even when vaguely touched upon always hit a nerve with Mel and whenever his name was mentioned she could not think rationally. 

She sat on her bunk, staring out of the tiny porthole window at the sparse star clusters flying by, and reflected. Sometimes she wondered if she HAD actually loved Mythos or if it was simply an illusion, a bunch of euphoric chemicals driving her senses and emotions into tricking her it was love. She couldn’t say, but it disturbed her.

In truth she was struggling to bring him clearly to recall lately and his image in her mind which had once been so clear and distinct was distorting and fading too quickly. It was only the words from his holographic memorial speech, and his wonderful voice echoing in her head which kept his spirit alive within her:

“I hope that one day you will find the strength to continue your incredible journey and find inner peace. Until then keep saying your motto ‘seize the day.’” 

Instantaneously she fingered the delicate latinum bracelet on her wrist. It’s engraved inscription ‘Carpe Dium’ reflected in the dim light.

A lump formed in her throat, it was a gift from Mythos, one he never had the chance to give to her personally. He was going to present it to her on the day he was killed. She thankfully had never witnessed that terrible event. Its stark brutal reality was the one thing she kept hidden away and closed deep in her mind.

The familiar stab of the dreadful emptiness she had endured for weeks following his demise intruded briefly to haunt her. Reminding her it was never truly gone, the grief and heartache which had consumed her until she finally felt able to manage her life again. Her departure from the Starfleet vessel Ibn Majid where she had cohabited with Mythos leading to the first stage of the journey she had embarked on with Rigby and Calloway.

When she first came aboard the Papillon she had contemplatively drawn a stick figure of herself down a deep pit, writing down her feelings and issues and how she planned to tackle them.  
One of her coping mechanisms had been to vent her anger through the destruction of non sentient robots and androids. Despite her crewmates’ disapproval she had enjoyed the adrenaline fuelled euphoria of eliminating the obscene creations such as the A300s, but it offered only brief respite, and after brutally liquidating two substandard humanform synths on Iona II her appetite for wanton obliteration diminished. 

She recounted her actions with a flicker of shame and regret. What had it achieved exactly? Precisely nothing but it served as a wake up call to focus her energies elsewhere – on something worthwhile and fulfilling. The quest to find Mythos’s remains with the hope he could be revived.

When she finally had possession of his body and the ship was headed to Ghulian IV, where two of the trinity of cyberneticists who created him were based, she drew herself in a shallower pit as her hopes rose and she could see new choices and potential solutions. 

The words of Aa’drian McKenzie and Altan Soong echoed in Mel’s mind. They could not deliver. Mythos coming back was no longer a possibility. His positronic brain was damaged beyond repair. Soong had vowed to keep looking for a way to revive him but all she could see was Mythos, pale and still, naked and breathtakingly beautiful laid out on a bio-bed like an effigy in an ancient crypt.

Now Mel and her fellow crewmates were heading through the void of open space, on the run from the Federation with two synthetic fugitives one of whom had hooked up with her best friend and the other was cold and unfriendly. Her lover was gone. She had only biting loneliness and isolation as her counsel. She drew an even deeper pit than the first. It starkly alluded that her hopes were destroyed.

‘I am a rootless space gypsy now,’ She ruminated to herself. ‘I am designated to nothing. I am stateless.’

She got up and looked at herself in the small mirror and with a resigned sigh contemplated her self-image.

Mel’s clothes were always functional and had served her well aboard the Ibn Majid. In particular she found the regulation underwear well fitting but comfortable. Being a dancer she favoured one piece bodysuits with long sleeves and for more formal social interactions a shift dress and jacket. 

Maybe inadvertently her practical no fuss look, particularly skin-tight catsuits might have had the opposite effect? Particularly where Mythos was concerned but on Gaiia it had not registered. 

She recalled that some of the golden girls on the ship, the high achieving ensigns and lieutenants owned luxurious lace underwear to please their partners. She realised now in this moment of clarity that such garments were likely replicated but this never crossed her mind at the time. She was blinded by low self-worth.

On Gaiia Prime Mel had no desire for such items and besides she had no means to acquire them. The advanced culture of Starfleet with no currency, wealth or class distinction was a new and strange concept to her, one which she could not get her head around.

Ruefully she wished that she had taken the time to find out about such garments and worn them for Mythos, but it was too late now for pointless regrets. 

She knew the most beneficial thing for her to do was to try move on and accept her new normal and the people within it. She was impeded however by the knowledge that whatever she did her feelings for a certain stand-offish individual in her immediate midst would most certainly be unrequited.

***********************************

Later she managed to speak with Ora alone, and poured her a glass of replicated spring wine as a peace offering. Mel knew she should offer an apology for the way she had humiliated B4 but could not force back her pride and do it. Instead she jumped straight in with a blunt and intrusive inquiry.

“Ora what is it like having sex with a man who doesn't climax? Is it mutually beneficial? Do you like it?”

Naturally her friend was a shade indignant at the invasive nature of the question, and her response was defensive, “How do you know he can’t?”

“What I was saying earlier. Mythos and I talked about the Soong androids and how they were different to him in that capacity,” Mel elucidated, with a nervous edge to her voice. She didn't want to seem like she was deliberately sniping her friend's lover. 

“Well Bee makes up for not climaxing with his passion and his affection, his sweet considerate nature. And anyway he still has an orgasm of sorts.”

“I know,” agreed Mel, “I have heard him cry out ‘Ah I’m coooming!’ no end of times, you can hear him throughout the whole ship!”

Both women giggled and the icy undertone of the exchange melted, “Don’t tell him that….”

“OK it is rather cute.” Mel admitted blushing slightly but with a flicker of regret as she thought of her solo status.

Ora turned to face her with a more serious expression, “So, did Mythos, you know ...cum?”

“Er yes, he did. However he was created many years after B4. From what Altan Soong said, B4 and the others came online more than 50 years ago. Mythos was only alive from 2379. A lot can happen in technology in that timeframe and the three cyberneticists we saw on Ghulian IV certainly had an eye for detail as Mythos was….perfect.”

Before Ora could respond their tete a tete was broken by Calloway’s intrusion. He required Mel’s opinion on some stellar cartography issue as her sharp sense of observation was proving invaluable.  


In truth she was relieved to be off the hook as she was finding it quite difficult to discuss the Soong androids in a positive light. She was only relieved Mythos had been very different from them.... 

As she helped Calloway with the cartographic projections she pondered how very singular Mythos actually HAD been – his lightning fast brain, the texture of his skin, the way that his muscles worked. It was almost as if he had positronic nerves for want of a better explanation. His biofluids were much more natural looking. She often extrapolated the possibility that he had synthetic hormones. It was subtle yet so far removed from where B4 and the original Data had belonged. 

She finished assisting Calloway and went to the bathroom, feeling bloated and uncomfortable. Another UTI, she groaned inwardly to herself and wondered why it kept happening. She swore it was the food. Gingerly she searched out the medkit for a sodium citrate shot and put it into a hyperspray, grateful for the instant relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So just another day at the office, or in this case deep space....


	6. Us And Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I apologise if this is offensive and bigoted, it is purely the voice of someone who is racked by grief, jealousy and insecurity and not my own opinion.

Typically, Mr Calloway had not forgotten his intended inquiry to A’kran after Mel had accidently blown his cover during the false alarm. She should have known that nothing went omiss with the meticulous skipper. When all the systems were back online and everything was functioning normally again he approached the android and began shooting the questions: 

“Mr A’kran, or is it Mr Soong? I would really appreciate it if you told me exactly who you really are, and your intentions and purpose aboard my ship please?"

Although A’kran remained his usual cool impassive self, Mel could sense a slight degree of annoyance in his demeanour. He was obviously vexed that his anonymity was gone and he briefly cut eyes at her with a frosty glare.

“I am the reconstruct of the Late Lieutenant Commander Data, Mr Calloway.” he stated without a trace of inflection in his tone.

Mel could see the disbelief rising in Calloway’s face as A’kran continued:

“My intentions are simple. As my kind are under threat from the Federation and myself and B4 are the last two remaining Soong androids I promised my creator I would protect us both from coming to any harm.”

“ I know that,” answered Calloway, “but there is more to it isn’t there?”

A’kran nodded. “You are correct sir. Given my former position within Starfleet, if my identity becomes common knowledge and I am captured by the Federation, I will certainly be destroyed,” he replied simply. 

“Beforehand however I would be stripped down to my endoskeleton to see if I hold any information or security secrets which are of use to them.”

Calloway swallowed uncomfortably, “I see.”

“So I and Altan Soong concluded that the only feasible solution was to stow away on a ship travelling through these co-ordinates where Starfleet activity is minimal. Your crewmate Melissa Rondor kindly offered to help in exchange for Altan’s promise to revive Mythos Asha, who I understand was intimately involved with her.”

Calloway nodded, but from his stance he seemed more stunned at the actual identity of his operations officer than the motives behind his fabricated persona.

“So I guess from now on we should call you Data?” he asked, “Or do you prefer to keep the alias?”

“I am happy to be called either, which ever you are comfortable with but my preference is Data.”

“Ok fine – Mr Data. Just one other thing, can you tell me why Altan Soong is so keen to protect you and B4 and not the others on your home world?”

“They are products of Bruce Maddox and Altan Soong’s research, not Noonian Soong’s. As far as Starfleet or the Federation is concerned there are no active examples of their work left, only failed prototypes. Mythos Asha is dead and his twin is missing and in any case was deemed defective. If it became known that I or B4 were there however it could pose a threat to the android world.

“Those you saw on Coppelius are happy to stay behind to protect their way of life and will seek ways to achieve this." Data continued, "I am confident that they will be safe in any case but it is easier myself and B4 are not there.”

“I understand,” Calloway acknowledged with a nod and a small smile. “Well OK Mr Data, we will carry on as we were and I hope and pray we don’t have the Federation on our tail."

“Thank you Mr Calloway, I am satisfied that we are clear on this matter.” Data returned the gesture and turned his attention back to one of the consoles.

Mel who had been plotting stellar co-ordinates during the exchange, opted to leave her position at that juncture. She was not going to stay around to be reprimanded by either or both of them for her slip of the tongue. To her pleasant surprise however, nothing more was said on the matter and life in deep space resumed its monotonous rhythm.

************************************

In fact the lack of activity was stifling and seemed to be on a loop of work, eat, sleep, repeat.

Even the Federation newsfeeds which had kept Mel amused in dull moments were stuttering to a halt, as they moved further away from the influence of its transmissions.

Mel was now keenly aware of the absence of things she took for granted. Her short sharp hairstyle was growing out. Without the convenience of her stylist in Miron City on Gaiia Prime or on board a luxurious starship it was something she had not considered when agreeing to Altan Soong’s request.

Furthermore despite her bold assertions that she could control her robophobia she was struggling with the close proximity of the two androids and her old fears began to creep back into her mind. 

It didn’t help that Ora had called her out over her treatment of B4 at the party and as Mel could not swallow her pride and apologise, her friend had become chilly and distant towards her. Mel was upset by this but just could not bring herself to back down.

In fact she felt growing hostility towards her friend’s devotion for something which in her view was not real - not in the same way she or her crewmates were anyway. Mythos had been real to her because he had seemed so Human, but B4 looked like a clownish parody of a Human. Data had also but in this incarnation she could not figure him out at all.

He too looked Human and was obviously similar in his capabilities to Mythos but in contrast he was so cold. Almost like a Vulcan. As she had extrapolated to Ora she believed although he had emotions he kept them under strict control, and his own apparent awareness of his impressive achievements and skills gave him an air of superiority.

Unfortunately she still couldn’t see eye to eye with him and it was evident that their personalities clashed big time, which did not auger well on a small ship stuck out in the far flung reaches of the Beta Quadrant.

They would fall into quarrelling and conflict at every turn and tensions between them ran dangerously high. Even Ora felt nervous about these toxic vibes and despite the recent distance between her and her friend she felt she must offer her counsel to Mel before it was too late.

“Mel it might not be my place to moralise but I think you should be less aggressive to Mr Data.”

“Why? He hates me and is always picking faults with my work - even when I know I have done a good job, he never acknowledges it. I don’t know what his problem is, but I am done Ora. I am coming to the end of my tether.”

Mel face palmed and dragged her fingers through her growing-out hair then pointed to a rod of parsteel resting against one of the consoles, 

“You see that?”

Ora focussed on the object and nodded, “Uh huh, what of it?”

“I sometimes feel like picking it up and shoving it through his back!” Mel snarled, her face showing that she meant business and would have no qualms about carrying out her threat.

Ora was clearly shocked at Mel's statement and the look on her face reflected horror and disgust, “That would kill him!” she exclaimed.

“I don’t care Ora. I have seriously had a gutsful of him. In fact I could quite cheerfully throw him out of the airlock….”

This outburst seemed to have the total opposite effect of what Ora had intended and she realised any attempts she made to appease Mel were futile.

”I give up, You’re impossible Mel!” she snapped and turned away to take her leave, throwing Mel an appalled and almost disappointed look.

Mel sighed deeply and buried her head in her hands. Why couldn’t anyone else see that Data was imposing too much of his hubris on the crew and her especially? 

*********************************************

Finally her patience and tolerance level snapped completely. 

It was just his voice, it never wavered in tone and he seemed to want to dictate to everyone what to do and how to do it. OK he had more knowledge than Rigby and Calloway but his attitude and his stupid hairstyle and clothes got on her nerves.

“Melissa you should break activity every hour. Have you taken your equilibrium shot....?" He was treating her like a five year old. She slammed her PADD on the table and shot up to face him with a murderous expression, clearly ready for a face off.

Despite her bravado however, she could feel herself shaking and her heart was hammering, punctuated by an icy chill trickling down her spine. She turned to Rigby with an imploring look.

"Please, I can’t face it anymore! I don't want these vile mechanoids anywhere near us, not on the bridge nor in our mess room and least of all in our quarters."

"But - " Rigby was about to say something but Melissa cut them short.

"I have the say Rigby. They are fugitives. They don't require food, sleep nor toilet facilities. They are things, devices. Until we can decide what to do with them in the long term we should banish them to the cargo bay."

Mel could not hide her aversion to Noonian Soong’s hideous ghoul creations a moment longer. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ora’s shocked and angry face. 

"Does our presence bother you so much?" B4 asked trepidly.

Mel glared at the android as if they were one of those dead Talerian mole rats which she often picked up in distaste from the cargo area and liquidated in waste disposal. Incredible how they bred like bacteria out of nowhere.

"Well let's say I am NOT comfortable with it." She replied after a beat. "I have come to the conclusion that YOU are not alive or sentient. How can you be with your crippled emotions and plastic facial expressions? It’s clear you don't possess true consciousness. You give me the creeps." 

Data jumped in immediately his voice calm and unflappable as always, "Melissa, regardless of your opinion I and B4 still deserve basic rights. To be treated with dignity." 

"Ha! As far as the Federation is concerned you HAVE no rights END OF," Mel countered and laughed dryly, "And my opinion is you don't deserve any. Why should I or anyone else respect worthless machines? " Her words were laced with venom and hatred.

"Melissa - " someone tried to interject but Mel went on unheeded:

"It is only thanks to the goodness (or is it the foolishness?) of my heart and the generosity of Calloway and Rigby of course that you are here in the first place. If I had my way I would kick you both out into space in a picasecond!

"Before I know it we will be rescuing that other twisted chimera Lore from somewhere and giving it sanctuary. Then we will have all 3 of you."

"I can assure you that will never happen. Lore is dead and will never be reactivated," Data affirmed in a clipped tone.

"Be that as it may, but having two Soong androids on board is too many. Not only for the obvious reason that the Federation could catch us out but your type are also highly prized by those in the quadrant with evil intentions. That makes us a potential target for every bounty hunter in the Galaxy!"

"Okay you do not want us around anymore, but what are we supposed to do Melissa?" B4 was now becoming agitated. "Where else can we go given the Federation has banned all synthetic life and is hunting us down....?"

"Well I am sure we could arrange to drop you both off at a remote planet, say somewhere around the New Badlands?" Mel replied in a cold tone. "You might be safe there."

"What if we are not? Do you expect us to just pray for luck that we are not discovered and destroyed?" There was an angry warble in B4's voice now. 

"Bee darling," Ora tried to calm them down, and Mel's guts squirmed with distaste – she was now incensed with how her friend found that thing remotely attractive, let alone allow congress with it. If Mel had her way she'd block its microservos which governed erection and delete its sexual subroutines.

"Listen you cretin, can you get it into your thick duranium skull - you being on this ship is making us a sitting duck for attack. And as I have already made clear, your presence here repulses me."

"So you would simply offload and discard us and leave us to die?" The simple minded android's voice was shrill with rage.

"B4...." Data gently took their arm, "Brother please - "

B4 shook the other android off, "I am sorry Data but she is making me so upset - she is treating us like trash as if we don't deserve life!"

Mel smirked, mocking their justification for personhood. "Too right. Brother my arse! How can two hunks of metal wrapped in bunches of wires, servos and circuits be brothers?" She scoffed without a shred of compassion. 

"And if you will pardon my rudeness I have no qualms in placing my Human and Bajoran crew above you. When you look at it in the cold light of day as the saying goes, you're just expendable rubbish."

"How dare you say that! How can you be so cruel?" B4 shrieked, and began to advance towards Mel who stood her ground. 

She met their angry yellow eyes with an immutable stance and an ice cold stare, reminding Data of a fish like species which had tried to sabotage the Enterprise many years ago. He briefly wondered from what exactly Gaiian humanoid evolution had derived from....

"I am going to hit you down you bitch!" B4 threatened to lunge at Mel with clenched fists, but then stopped abruptly, and burst into anguished sobs.

"Enough!" Data, Rigby and Ora shouted together and grabbed the emotional android to pull them safely away from their antagonist.

"Hey, can’t you people talk sensible without squabbling like children?" Calloway interjected somewhat wearily from the cockpit. "And Mel it's my ship so I get to say what happens here and who stays. We have come this far with the Soong Brothers so they are staying."

Mel’s eyes had turned a fiery red and seemed to roll with almost murderous hatred. 

"Mel, I am asking you as a friend to show some compassion," Ora begged as she tried to comfort her distressed synthetic lover.

A wave of shame and guilt suddenly washed over Mel as her shoulders dropped. The fact her crew had sided with this pathetic freakshow really stung her pride.

"Sorry everyone...." and with barely disguised tears pricking her eyes she hurriedly left the deck. 

Data impulsivity followed after her, but Ora stopped him, "It's OK Mr Data, I will speak to her later when she has calmed down." She assured.

Mel fled to her cabin and locked the door before flinging herself face down on her bunk, her body racking with sobs of anger, frustration, disgust and ...fear. 

She just wanted to be alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say? Being in the depths of space can do funny things to people...


	7. Speak To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mel's crewmates discuss how to tackle her Grimwold's Syndrome and Data tries to persuade her to speak to him without success.

The atmosphere was tense to say the least. Rigby looked embarrassed, unsure what to say or do. Ora was horrified by her friend's outburst, and she was having difficulty calming B4, whose face remained set in tense anger. 

"Why does she hate me?" He asked, his eyes full of confusion.

"I don't know, Bee," she replied, her hand smoothing down disordered strands of his dark hair. She had to admit it felt strange after Mel had been involved so closely with Mythos Asha.

Data meanwhile had sat down at one of the workstations, clearly deep in thought but finally he broke silence and spoke in a measured tone, his fingers steepled under his chin, "I have recently studied exo biology. I know Melissa is a Gaiian/Human hybrid but I think I can explain her irrational outburst.”

The other four people faced him in askance.

“Were you aware she has a condition called Grimwold syndrome, more commonly known as robophobia?”

“Yes.” chorused Rigby, Ora and Calloway together. “We know she is uncomfortable in the presence of artificial life forms. 

“Well I know it can stem from severe anxiety but also from life experiences." Data stated. “What do you know about her past?”

Ora was the first to respond, "I've known her for a few years. We traded together in Miron City on Gaiia Prime, she didn't seem anxious but she certainly had a lot of baggage. She tended to shrug it off, but she told me she didn't have a great relationship with her parents. She resented them for not supporting her as a child. Her previous relationship before Mythos was abusive but I don't know much about her personal life prior to that....."

"I see, did she ever talk to you about this fear of AI and androids?" 

Ora had now sat down on one of the sofas, B4 joined her, and lay down there with his head on her lap, while she continued to stroke his hair.  
"Not really, she used to tell me about an ancient film which had creepy robots in it and one caught fire. She said it made her ‘shit herself ‘in her own words of course." 

Data winced slightly at the profanity, "Hmm, I see." 

"I think she was also nervous of you sir," Ora went on, gesturing towards him. "But you looked like Bee back then, before you.....You know. She said your blank expression was a bit scary....  
"She told me she loved Mythos. She didn't seem to have any issues with him. She was very clear about her feelings for him." 

Data nodded in acknowledgement, "Thank you Ora. Now Elim Rigby, what do you know about Mel?" 

"I only met her when she came aboard the Ibn Majid.” They confessed. “As Ora has said she seemed close to Mythos but she lacked confidence and felt she wasn't good enough for him.

“On the Ibn Majid she took her frustration out on holograms of non sentient robots, then when Mythos died she wanted to vent her sadness and anger on something more... shall I say...... tangible."

Rigby stalled, feeling treacherous at exposing Mel's behaviour, but Data prompted them to continue. 

"So..... after the attack on the ship I left Starfleet on a sabbatical. I joined my friend Mr Calloway on a space tour to get over the trauma. Mel asked to come with us as she said there wasn't any point staying on the Ibn Majid anymore. 

" She became how can I put it....? Obsessed with locating artificial lifeforms and destructing them. Then she tired of this and expressed a desire to find Mythos's body and someone to resurrect him, which is how we came to your world. Then the synthetic ban happened." 

"Do you believe Melissa resents me because I was restored and Mythos could not be?" Data posed. 

"Yeah, I think it's possible," Rigby admitted, "She hasn't seen eye to eye with you since we left your world." 

“I see.” Data acknowledged.

Ora really wanted to tell him that Mel’s hostile behaviour towards him could be because she fancied him but feared rejection, though decided this was best kept quiet for now.

Instead she continued to focus on her friend’s relationship with Mythos, "Her fondness for him grew because she thought he was Human or Betazoid.” She admitted. 

“When he told her he was a synthetic she was angry but she accepted it as she was already comfortable with him as a friend. That's the difference. This situation has been thrust onto her.” 

" - And that is what has driven the anxiety and why she is hostile.” Data concluded. “Well it is a start and I think I know what to do to help her.”

“But you and Mel don’t get on.” Observed Ora, with a concerned expression.

Data for the first time since he had been aboard gave a reassuring (and Ora thought quite disarming) smile, “ I have fifty years of memories and knowledge under my belt to draw on, including those from my close friend from my Enterprise days, the empath Deanna Troi. I am certain that I can find the right combination of cognitive therapies to help Melissa, and will talk to her tomorrow.”

And with that he left the crew to return to his lab.

******************************* 

Around a half hour later the crew were aware of noises coming from Mel’s cabin.

It was music, playing at an exceedingly high volume, accompanied by disjointed singing and sounds akin to furniture being knocked over or broken.

Ora looked worried and scared, she had never seen Mel react this way before. perhaps she had never wanted to expose this side of her character.  
“What should we do? We can’t leave her like this.” She said with her voice full of concern.

At that moment Data came rushing into the recreation area aware that something was very wrong.

“What is the commotion? Is Melissa OK?” He inquired, a look of agitation on his face.

“I think she has gone overboard this time round. I am really afraid for her” Ora confessed.

B4 meanwhile wore an expression of complete bemusement and was mute. His feelings for Mel were ambivalent to say the least.

“She can’t hack it, I knew she couldn’t.” Admitted Rigby, shaking his head. “Deep space is too much for her without the proper training. She’s too brittle.”

Surprisingly Data sprung to Mel’s defence. “That may not be true.” He replied. “She has the mettle but her inner struggles are impeding her. I think I can help but it will take time…”

“Is there anything you can do now?” Ora pleaded in askance.

“I will go and see if she is OK but I cannot promise that she will be compliant,” Data replied guardedly.

He walked down the corridor to Mel’s cabin and pressed the comms button. There was typically no answer. The sound of Billie Holiday singing ‘Good Morning Heartache’ resonated from the bulkheads.

“Melissa? Are you OK? Can I speak to you please?”

The sound of Data’s voice seemed to infuriate her further and only served to illicit a profane response:

“Go fuck yourself Asshole!”

Data continued unfazed, from the slurred nature of her voice he deduced she was drunk.

“Melissa I would kindly ask you to comply please. Ora is worried, we all are.”

“Why should I listen to you? What do you know? You are not like Mythos, you don’t even come close you piddling eunuch!”

“Melissa – “

“Can’t you take a hint Lord Snooty? What does it take for you to sling your hook? You swan round with your high handed hubris because you got nothing else. I bet you are dickless like a tailor’s mannequin!”

In his old life Data would have simply defended his male coded status after the fact but now he didn’t have to. “Melissa, I think this is completely irrelevant and I would advise you to keep your personal comments to yourself.” 

The music suddenly changed, and now Count Basie’s version of ‘Blue Skies’ played at even higher volume.

In the rest area B4 could hear it and his face suddenly filled with absolute terror. “Oh no! It is that song…my other brother, the man in Starfleet! He deactivated me…indefinitely….for a very long time….” His lower lip appeared to quiver uncontrollably and he was convulsing all over as if he was experiencing some sort of fit. 

“Bee!!” Ora screamed and looked in horror as he crumpled to the floor.

“Data!” She shouted in panic “ Please come quickly it’s B4 ….something’s happened to him!”

Data left Mel’s door and rushed into the rest area, B4 had been pulled onto a sofa, his eyes rolling and unfocused.

Ora started to sob and tears left mascara trails as they rolled down her cheeks, “What’s happening? Bee! Speak to me! Oh please help him Data!”

The android reached for a tiny tool like a jewellers implement from his coat pocket. Holding B4 firmly by the shoulders he gently reached behind his left ear, opening a small panel and using the tool turned a node in an anti-clockwise direction. 

B4 regained his cognizance and awareness. Luckily at the same time the music stopped.

A sound of a glass shattering, then silence. 

“I think she has burned herself out,” Rigby remarked archly. “She is going to have one fireball of a hangover tomorrow.”

Both organics and androids looked at one another collectively, agreeing that this had been one difficult and emotionally draining night. They could only hope that what had transpired was enough to clear the air and that things would run smoother ongoing. 

They couldn’t have been more wrong….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Mel on the road to ruin? Can anyone pull her out of it?


	8. (Un) Comfortably Numb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All of Mel's pain reaches its zenith and she sees no way out.

Mel awoke and looked around. She was disorientated and realised she had been asleep for several hours. She tried to get up but felt wobbly. Evidently the result of her downing a few large glasses of synthanol wine in an attempt to mask her hurt. 

Looking around she could see the chaos she had created even in the darkness. Her possessions were strewn over the floor and a table and chair were overturned. A glass was broken at the side of the table. After a few minutes her coordination returned and she gingerly unlocked the door of her cabin and looked out. 

It seemed everyone had retired to their respective quarters, even the androids. 

She heard the persistent drone of the ship's warp engines, the only sound in the void of the main deck. It seemed to play out a monotonous dark thrum, endless, relentless.

She crept out into the tiny corridor. Ora as usual hadn't locked her door, Mel now knew the reason for this was that she suffered from slight claustrophobia so it was left part open. From inside she heard her friend's gentle breathing and an agitated moan from B4, evidently still experiencing fallout from the earlier altercation. She heard Ora shift in her sleep and utter something affectionately to the android, then there was silence again. 

Rigby was in his quarters, evidently asleep, and Calloway was either at the helm or most likely had also retired and programmed the ship on a course by the computer. As for Data, she assumed he was in his lab doing something to pass the time. She knew he didn't sleep, even in his resurrected form. 

Mel rubbed her eyes and gazed out from one of the tiny windows, and watched space rushing by. It never failed to hold her in thrall, but now the twinkling white points of stars in the infinite inky blackness only served to make her feel sad and melancholy. 

She felt a huge weight bear down on her and her breathing became erratic. The tears welled up again in her already swollen red eyes and she grieved for Mythos, feeling his absence more keenly than ever. He had been so Human, so personable and beautiful, unlike these two freaks currently held in her midst, but he was never going to come back unless a miracle happened, and in her experience miracles were in dire short supply. 

She did question over and over again why the emotionless, condescending Data was alive and not Mythos. Probably because he was seen as more high profile she supposed. She felt his name had suited him down to a tee, it evoked cold facts and unwavering algorithms of sagacity and logic but no passion.

This injustice bit into her savagely. Mythos HAD possessed passion, he was vibrant and ambitious and open to challenge and surprises. He had loved her for what she was and could take her to the stars with his lovemaking and she wanted to be tortured by this empty futile existence no more. 

She staggered out of her cabin and made her way in the low light over to the supply bank next to the mess room, and reached for the medical kit. She rummaged through the contents until she found what she sought. 

Sitting down on the sofa and looking out to space, she stared at the innocuous plastic vial, studying the contents and weighing up if there was still a chance of salvation. Replaying what had happened earlier she decided there was not. 

Sighing deeply she opened the vial and began administering the painkiller in huge doses. She hoped that this would shut off her torment and misery for good. 

The first sensation she felt was an overwhelming heaviness, quickly succeeded by a tinnitus like buzz in her skull, then the dizziness, and finally the nausea.

Staggering to the sonic shower room, she began retching and choking. She had not expected this. She had thought it was going to be a quiet, tranquil departure.

It wasn’t.

Panic seized her as she doubled up with an inhuman pain in her gut, the buzz changed to a hideous rushing and screeching sensation in her head, becoming louder and more disturbingly insistent. Her body became heavier and numb, like pins and needles in overdrive.

Suddenly she was aware of strong arms around her, lifting her out of the sonic shower. The voice addressing her was familiar and one she didn’t like, but she had no energy to fight back. 

She answered their inquiry in total honesty and sensed them rushing to their lab to fetch something. Like a hyper spray? She felt it hiss at her neck, and gradually the lurid sensations subsided, washing away like the tide from the shores of a lake.

The person attending to her ministrations maintained a cool even tone and laid her on the long sofa in the main recreation area, fetching a blanket and covering her with it. They brought some cold water from the meagre ship’s supply, and Mel drank it greedily, her thirst burning. 

As her senses returned, she was finally able to face her saviour. The plain, impassive face of Data Soong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well Mel has certainly caused havoc and been to Hell and back. Things can only get better from here, I promise!


	9. Breathe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mel faces the fallout from her actions and finally gets coersed into talking therapy....

Just as Rigby had foretold, Mel did awake with a storming hangover and much more besides.

“Ugh”

The sound she emitted alerted someone she was aware was sitting nearby. They came to her side and she felt the intrusive hiss of a hyperspray. This eased the throbbing headache somewhat but could not eliminate the dizziness or the glazed blurriness of her vision.

Clumsily she tried to struggle to a sitting position to gain understanding of what was around her.

“Please Melissa, try to stay still until your faculties have adjusted…”

‘Oh yeah,’ she thought to herself archly, ‘Data….’

A wave of nausea roiled up in her chest as all the events of the previous day came flooding back like a lurid tidal wave and she was filled with sadness and remorse. She had caused upset and anger among her crewmates. She had been selfish and immature. Now she was regretting it but knew that she could not reset or reverse the chronometer. The damage was done and despite being a cliche it seemed she was always wise after the event. 

She brought it to recall – her outburst of rage attacking the androids and threatening to kick them off the ship, her sinking into a hysterical drunken stupor and even admitting to Ora her intention of impaling Data with a parsteel rod. What must she think of her? Not a lot she imagined and quite rightly. She felt the nasty hot tears of shame begin to sting her eyes like white hot concentrated ammonia.

She just wanted to shrivel up and die with disgrace and embarrassment

Her eyes now adjusted to the scene around her and she saw the collective faces of her crew, “Please go away,” she entreated in a weak voice.

“We are not going anywhere,” affirmed Data.

“Huh? What the stars?”

His newly sympathetic demeanour confused her and to add to the conundrum Data actually gave her a small smile. That completely flummoxed her. She had not been privy to the expression he gave her friends the previous night but decided it was nice. He should do it more often….

Data's apparent cordiality also assuaged Mel enough to offer her apologies for her behaviour and show her contrition was heartfelt.

“Listen, I know I 've been a totally nasty selfish asshole recently but I was so absorbed in nursing my own bruised ego I didn’t care to consider my actions, I am so sorry for my behaviour, I have no excuse.” Mel confessed, sounding very meek and humbled in comparison to her usual brash and strident self. “By the way did something happen to B4?”

“He had a minor cascade failure,” Data revealed. 

“Is he OK?” Mel actually had a note of concern in her voice.

“Yes," Data replied. "It seems he did not like your choice of music.”

“What, jazz? I thought it might seek your approval seeing it was more high brow than hip hop or house music….”

“No the song.” Data corrected. “Blue Skies. Just before my first life ended I sang it at the First Officer’s wedding. When I downloaded my matrix into Bee apparently he remembered it, just before he was deactivated. As such it evokes traumatic memories for him.”

'Oh my stars this dude sings?' Mel noted to herself with dismay before replying defensively “How was I to know!” 

She took a long gulp from a glass of replicated water. Her mouth still felt like in her words a Naausican's boot. “All I can say is…I’m sorry.” she muttered witha hint of bitterness. 

“How do you feel now?” Data inquired softly. 

"What do you think? Disgusted with myself of course. I'm not proud of what I did. I really went overboard. You must hate me, all of you."

"No, we do not," Data assured.

Ora suddenly jumped into the conversation, “You’re wrong. We really care Mel. I do especially. We have been friends so long and I wouldn’t want that destroyed. You have to admit you haven’t been yourself recently have you? We are entrusting Data as he thinks he can help you.”

“What? How?” Mel’s expression was a mix of perplexity and displeasure.

Data gave her another small smile – she was certainly liking this but her intuition told her not to get too carried away. This guy was way out of her league. All the same it eased her disquiet.

“I have recently been studying exo psychology.” He continued. “I also have knowledge passed on to me from the counsellor aboard the Enterprise, Deanna Troi. She was….is an extremely gifted empath.”

Mel pulled an ornery face, she remembered the counsellor on the Ibn Majid who was nice but hadn’t really invested much time in her when Mythos died.

“I don’t have much time for counselling, it doesn’t help.” Mel said bitterly. “I want to reverse what happened in my past life, so that I am given the chances I deserved. No one can fix that.”

“You have to make changes yourself Melissa. Others cannot do it for you. Cognitive therapy is very beneficial in your situation,” Data added. 

“Speaking to your colleagues it seems you never had anyone to spend time with you in your youth, to understand you, help and support you. If you will let me speak to you in private, in your quarters - just for an hour every other day – maybe we can put this into practice?”

“Oh so you have been discussing my dirty linen behind my back?” Mel became suspicious and annoyed, cutting her eyes at Data with a gimlet stare. A beat passed in silence so she continued:

“Well something has obviously changed your tune. You could hardly utter a civil word to me before all this. What happened Mr Data? Is there a glitch in your programming? You might be aware that I struggle with a phobia. About artificial life forms like you. What’s your excuse?” Mel’s voice was laced with bitter sarcasm.

“I sensed that your countenance was hostile and you were not willing to accept me. I was also aware you were grieving for Mythos Asha, and were resentful that I was alive and he was not.” he replied plainly, reverting to his calm uninflected manner.

“That is true. But I have coped with my demons for months and I can manage thank you. As everyone used to say on Gaiia Prime – it will pass.”

“In your case I do not think it will,” Data advised flatly. “Your locking everything away is doing you harm and is fuelling your irrational outbursts which will only get worse, I therefore strongly recommend – “

Mel rose unsteadily to her feet, “I don’t think I need your help Mr Data, thanks but no thanks.”

And with that she shuffled to her quarters, turning around only to add a plaintive “Sorry again folks,” to Ora, Rigby and Calloway.

“Well that went down well, didn’t it?” Calloway concluded, a look of forbearance passing between himself and Rigby.

“Be patient. She will come round, just give her time.” In spite of the situation, Data still sounded extremely confident. 

Calloway only hoped he was right as all this drama on his ship was becoming extremely tiresome and he wanted an end to it.

******************************************

That evening the comms alert chimed on Mel’s door.

“Who is it?” She was immediately cagey and apprehensive.

“It is I, Data.”

“Oh, huh.” She stalled for a beat – she wanted to tell him to go away but something instinctively compelled her to open the door to him.

“OK come in.” she replied in an uninflected tone.

As he entered he looked around the small living space with interest. Mel had tidied up after the fracass of the previous night and he noticed the mementos and artefacts arranged on her dresser. A carving in a shiny umber stone of two persons intertwined, a photo of Mythos in dress uniform, the octagonal box containing his memorial holomatrix, a few fragments of iridescent rock and a small bleached cat-size alien skull.

This last item took his particular attention and he picked it up, turning it over in his fingers, examining it minutely before raising one eyebrow quizzically, “Hmm, intriguing. Priulainurus Ozark, commonly know as the bezerker cat. Where did you find this?” The inquiry was pleasantly curious, not accusing and Mel felt obliged to open up.

“On your home world.” She answered simply. “I came upon it buried in the sandy soil outside of Coppelius Station when I walked away to be alone after the bad news about Mythos.” She recounted. “I felt it would be a fitting souvenir.”

Data tilted his head slightly and gave a small frown. “Fascinating, as there did not appear to be any wild animals in the areas around our station.”

“Maybe they are extinct?” Mel offered.

“That is a possibility.” He agreed and carefully replaced the item.

This pleasant exchange seemed to create a fragile détente between the two of them.

"It appears that when you saw me on Ghulian IV you were the only one of your crew to recognise me?" Data noted, changing the subject.

Mel shrugged, "I must be good with faces that's all. I only knew of your former existence from Federation newsfeeds and a few people who visited Gaiia Prime who'd made your acquaintance. I went out of my way to speak to them and ask for their impressions as you fascinated me.

"And of course Mythos knew a lot about you and Noonian Soong's work although he never met you. I take it you had no say in being resurrected?”

“That is true.”

“You seem very different from your former self Data. Not just your appearance, I got the impression you were more stiff and robot like than you are now. Diffident, modest, self-effacing even? Mythos mentioned that you were also emotionless but later on were given some sort of chip?”

“The emotion chip – it was damaged and did not work well,” he affirmed. “Eventually I removed it after an unpleasant encounter with the Borg Queen.”

“Who?? What are the Borg?” Mel probed, clearly curious.

“Do not ask please. It was a traumatic experience and one which I prefer to forget.”

Mel deftly steered to a different subject, “Mythos said you were very well read and creative? Is that true?”

“I would agree that my knowledge and pursuits matched that description. I played the violin and also the oboe. I also studied the great masters of art and created many paintings based on their differing styles. In addition I was a great admirer of the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - "

“Sherlock Holmes?” Mel interrupted. 

“Yes. Myself and Geordi my best friend on the Enterprise used to create holoprograms of the escapades of Holmes and Dr Watson, complete with costumes"

Mel could not help but stifle a snigger as she found the image of Data in period costume quite amusing. “I know Doyle's work but myself I prefer Agatha Christie.” She admitted with a smile. “You may be surprised but I do consider myself quite well read, if a bit rough around the edges."

"I can see that you are intelligent Melissa. You are also quick to learn and pick up techniques. This is an estimable and valuable asset on a starship.” Data offered graciously. “Despite what you might think I am not a genius nor do I profess to be one."

"But your preferences determine you to be a very high brow individual.” Mel argued, “You are like an OxBridge Don. I am just your average pop culture addict. What was it you said – folk talent?” She could sense insecurity creeping in once more.

“I am sorry that I trivialised you in that respect.” He replied ruefully. “However when my matrix was transferred to this new body I lost much of that creative aspect of my character. Some things had to be deleted to allow my father’s synaptic scan to take hold.”

“And that is why now you seem more practical, more conscious of your sense of self, more….arrogant?”

“I can only go by the feedback from others but that might be the case, however I cannot substantiate this.” He added a shade cautiously.

“And you still don’t use contractions,” she added with a smile.

“That is correct.”

"You know I sometimes wonder when people started using verbal contractions. Was it natural or something that developed over time? Perhaps in future we might stop using them and enunciate grammar correctly again?" 

Data returned the smile adding "It is possible. And a good point. You have a gift for philosophical musings." 

“Thank you.” 

Before she knew it an hour had passed and Data made to leave, “Thank you for speaking to me Melissa, I think we have made a very good start in your quest to heal…”

“What??”

She realised the guileful android had subtly inveigled her without once indicating this was a counselling session.

Data smiled again and her annoyance at being tricked swiftly evaporated. She had to admit that expression of his was certainly disarming, she only hoped she wouldn’t get too smitten by it and end up getting her fingers burned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I am still debating how to steer this ship. Will Mel develop a relationship with Data? Or will Mythos somehow return? Or will she encounter his twin and fall for him?


	10. Learning To Fly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An interlude of bodywork, calm and relaxation leads Mel to a frank confessional.....

As she had done so many times before Mel dreamed erotically about Mythos that night.

It always astounded her how sharp and distinct the impression was - as vivid and realistic as if he was actually there with her and not merely a product of her subconscious mind.  
He comforted her, extolling her like a goddess, as if she was the most wondrous being in the entire galaxy and he was truly unlike any other artificial lifeform. He was perfect and a breed apart from them – potent and blindingly beautiful. Mel was drawn to him like the proverbial moth to a naked flame.

She surrendered to him completely. Sucked into a vortex of unparalleled bliss, melding into him using her favoured position - straddling him in his lap – enabling her to observe him and watch the pleasure rise in his face. He made everything alright, and she was both in ecstasy and at peace as he made love to her, skilfully and passionately.

Then at the precise moment the intensity of her climax washed over her, she anticipated the inevitable transformation when her joy was savagely snatched away and supplanted by that filthy red eyed apparition, that bastard hideous changeling, but…it did not happen. Instead when the image of Mythos melted away it was superseded by an altogether more pleasing vision.

‘Melissa – ‘ the soft honeyed tone of one she was familiar with on this vessel. Data. He was smiling that dreamy smile, his usual severity softened. He took her hands, pulled her to him in a warm embrace, not passionate but comforting and warm, like a favourite blanket. He bent to kiss her chastely on the forehead.

She awoke.

Surprisingly for once she was not empty, hungry and wanting, grieving at her loss. She was feeling a clear sense of peace, a cloud-like softness enveloped her as if soothing her away her customary torment.

As bizarre as it seemed she felt as if a door was finally closing on the bad stuff. The grey bulkheads and the monotonous hum of the warp engines which greeted her no longer held a note of foreboding or despair.

She could not say with conviction that she was happy but it looked like she was gaining a foothold out of that deep dark pit she had depicted herself in.

She slid out of bed and took a sonic shower then once dressed left her cabin and ordered an expresso from the replicator.

When she returned to her room she flicked through her music library and called up the most appropriate track – ‘Black Coffee’ by Peggy Lee. It’s atmospheric breathy vocals and sparse musical arrangement was straight from an ancient private detective movie. It mirrored her current mood, one still of solitude but waiting for something positive to happen.  
That much at least was true. She desperately wanted to kick out this status quo of feeling angry, her fervour and ambition being stifled. The question was how?

Try to make overtures on Data? Hardly likely. He might have mollified his aloof demeanour with her in private but he was still off limits. Maybe he was gay? Though Calloway hadn’t mentioned it. Perhaps this Geordi he spoke of was more than a friend? She would find out soon enough she guessed. Nevertheless Mel was thankful for the apparent change in her frame of mind even if it turned out to be a disillusion. It was good for the time being….

****************************************

Mel’s first serious therapy session with Data commenced that evening. She was apprehensive as she did not want him to suspect that she was developing an obvious crush on him. When he pressed her door alert Mel let him in with a friendly but equable greeting. Data returned it with the slightest ghost of a smile. So far so good.

He allowed her to play the soft music which she had used for her Chakra and Gong Bath sessions on board the Ibn Majid and pour a glass of Bajoran Spring wine, which succeeded in putting her at ease slightly. 

She had no idea what he had in mind but noticed he had removed his long coat and his person was void of gadgets and tools. His hair was also brushed back quite neatly for him. He had rolled the sleeves of his dress shirt up to just below the elbow.

“Ok how do we roll?” Mel asked casually.

“I am going administer a massage. Please can you change into appropriate clothing Melissa?”

“No worries I already have,” And with a flourish she removed her batwing top and leggings to reveal the cropped top and shorts she always wore beneath, a habit which had stuck since her dance training.

“Lie down,” he asked softly, and Mel furtively complied.

He kneeled down straddling her lower back. She felt his breath gently fan over her bare skin as he began deftly manipulating her shoulders, his expert hands loosening her tense muscles. meeting with no resistence.

His touch soothed and calmed her nerves. She was surprised at how quickly her tautness melted away and unwound like an uncoiling knot. She instinctively and implicitly trusted Data’s hands allowing him to touch her unhindered.

“Ooh that is good,” she murmured and closed her eyes, the blissful serenity washing over her. Maybe it was his neutral and unwavering almost asexual demeanour which steadied her? She could not say but it was certainly agreeable.

Sometimes his long elegant fingers grazed areas which were sensitive, almost erogenous, but while it elicited a flutter of desire within her she did not let on.

Data continued his ministrations, moving on from her arms, to her lower back then down her legs and feet until his exquisite touch had freed up every tight sinew in her body. When he was done Mel got up and sat on her bunk, awaiting her interlocutor’s opening gambit.

“Melissa, since we met you have maintained hostility towards me, can you please explain why?" Data enquired in a low even voice, clearly seeking askance.

Mel responded plainly, an equally measured expression on her face, "When you came aboard this ship I thought you were smug and superior. I believed that you saw me as unrefined and stupid. I decided to give as good as I got and put up barriers – to warn you not to mess with me."

"I see. And were you vindicated by this?”

“Mostly yes.”

“And what was your reasoning for thinking I looked down on you?" 

Mel sighed heavily through her nose, "How long have you got? For a start your knowledge and your pursuits seemed way out of my league - Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, Stephen Hawking, Freud, plus other great literary figures and composers and I bet some so obscure I couldn't mention.... “

"Were you ever curious about me?" 

"Yes I suppose I was.”

“How so?”

“Because you were the only allegedly sentient android in Starfleet or the Federation. You were a highly decorated officer and a senior member of the Enterprise crew, a VIP who was invited to diplomatic functions. You witnessed first contact with new worlds. You were a hero I suppose."

"Did you want to meet me?" 

"Yes, though I knew that was an extremely remote possibility." 

The response surprised him and he raised his perfect brows quizzically. 

"Why?" 

Mel faltered evasively “Because.... perhaps..... Please don't take offence, but you fascinated me. First of all I truly wanted to see if you were as human-like as they claimed, and talk with you on your level. It would have lessened my fear of artificial life forms."

"Why did you fear me? I would appreciate your honesty."

"Your previous appearance intimidated me. It was so haughty and severe, almost disconcerting.” Mel confessed. “I imagined the scene if I ever did meet you – giving you a smile and a casual greeting and the disgust it would bring to your face. I could not bear the thought of rejection." 

"I did not feel disgust or indeed anything else back then." Data replied flatly.

"I know, and for me that was the frightening part. Details of your character were only hearsay but you having no emotions or feelings at all freaked me out. I wondered how could such a taciturn and unemotional person be good? I now know I was wrong." 

"I understand your sentiments but why do you put yourself down?" 

Mel sighed ruefully,"I yearned to be educated and more accomplished. I tried back then and I try even now but whatever I do will always be second rate and useless - way out of your league." 

"It does not have to be that way Melissa." Data responded encouragingly.

She fixed him a hard stare, as if admonishing him for his naivety. "Gaiia is an autocracy and uses wealth as a means to success.” She countered. “I came from a poor family with a father who was self-centred and lazy. He ruined any prospects I might have nurtured. He put himself, his friends and his leisure activities before his child. I had a basic education and then was told to fend for myself. I had to go out and earn a living just to survive.”

“Your parents, where did they work?” 

“Dilithium mine of course, where else?!” She replied tersely, “My father worked on the rockface and my mother had some menial role in the administration department. What frustrates me is that my mother had a brain. She was a Gaiian after all, but she just stayed down at heel to please my father. 

"I could not afford a university education or proper medical care. I needed some surgery a few years ago for something that no longer exists on Earth but is still treated using 21st century medicine on Gaiia. Sure if you have money you can get the Terran treatment but I didn't - I was butchered and burned and now have scars and chronic pain."

"That is regrettable and I am sorry that you had to endure such treatment." Data added sympathetically. A beat passed while Mel ruminated, staring into blank space.

“Please carry on Melissa.” Data urged.

"Okay. Well I had a talent for art so my income on Gaiia came from making jewellery and sculpture which I sold in a market in Miron City,” Mel continued, “Then I utilised my amateur dancing skills in the evenings to entertain the townsfolk and tourists. Hardly a huge achievement.”

She gave a dry, cynical laugh, ”Besides which I'm crap at science and calculus - most Gaiians are. They lack all that great stuff that makes up the best recruits in Starfleet. What use would I be? An enlisted crew member in lower decks? You saw the best of Humanity Data, but I have seen the worst.”

“I respect your opinion and your commentary.” He conceded.

“Do you think there was really any way I could have got off that bloody rock and gone places? That was just a pipe dream Data. And now it's too late for me to realise that dream.” 

“But you did.”

“A million to one coincidence. I met Mythos Asha, he took me away with him. I got onto a Starfleet vessel. Then when he died I joined Rigby and Calloway and here we are flying through deep space with no particular place to go.” 

“You are so cynical Melissa.” 

“It's my coping mechanism. The only thing that keeps me going is what a dance instructor on Gaiia said to me years ago: ‘The poor or less gifted are just parts in the larger workings of a cultural machine, but it does not mean to say that they are unimportant. A little thing can make a huge difference and if you believe that then you can succeed.’ I never forgot those words. I often wonder if that person is still alive and what they do now."

" What is their name? "

Mel told Data, and he searched his internal files.

"Yes, he is alive. He teaches Reiki on Atrius III."

"That's good to know.” She replied with a small grin. “Let’s break for now I need a rest."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay - overtime at work and other commitments meant this had to wait, but hopefully I can post more regularly ongoing. This chapter is the calm before some really big surprises come up.


	11. Astronomy Domine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mel discovers her 'metier' aboard the ship and The Papillon encounters a gruesome relic. Mel and Data discuss all things pop culture and jazz before she reveals her treasured inner secrets. Emotions run high and sparks will fly.

Mel discovered to her pleasant surprise that she was becoming extremely adept at stellar cartography. Admittedly this area of space was uncommonly sparse and bleak so there was not a lot to focus on, however she would locate tiny pins of light before anyone else – which generated hope and excitement within the crew.

Inevitably however what appeared to be star systems on closer examination turned out to be extinguished ancient suns and the planets circling them were dead pieces of rock, they didn’t even merit K class. 

“I have never known such a barren place,” she remarked solemnly to Rigby as each possibility of finding a solar system capable of supporting life was thwarted.

Then suddenly she located something looming large, something clearly significant on their radar. It was a huge gas giant, its orange opalescent sphere dominating the ink black of the infinite sky around it. Mel also perceived something like a small craft drifting on the peripheral of its enormous mass, noting by its apparent down slanting angle that it was incapacitated.  
She brought the object to close resolution on the viewfinder, which in truth was not as sophisticated and ‘high-res’ as anything on Starfleet vessels, but Rigby’s modifications made it pretty effective.

As soon as the craft was close enough for observation, she discerned its odd shape, a basically featureless smooth edged rectangle - she also saw a foreboding glower cross Data’s features.  
“It is a Borg probe.” He announced plainly.

“What the stars is that doing out here?” said Rigby, clearly astounded by its presence.

“I do not know but I find the matter extremely disconcerting, given these vessels travel at trans warp and are armed, ” Data answered guardedly.

“It appears to be inactive. Shall we take a look?” Mel offered eagerly.

“No - It may not be,” Data cautioned. “It could well be inoperable but there might still be Borg drones alive within it.”

Although Mel had been ignorant to the Borg’s existence until Data had mentioned them that one time, she was now fascinated by their menacing, nefarious nature.  
“I am willing to check it out with you - if I can survive being kidnapped by Bruce Maddox I can take anything.” She effused, eagerly ready to spur to action.

Data however was keen to exercise restraint, “While your enthusiasm to partake is admirable I would not advise it. “ He counselled.

“This is much more risky than dealing with some sadistic autocratic Cyberneticist, believe me, ” Rigby added with an almost scolding tone in their voice. 

Mel pulled a face and folded her arms across her chest, obviously miffed. She wanted some excitement, some adrenalin. In her view she had been cooped up on this ship for too long.  


“Is there a way we can scan it to make sure it is defunct?” Rigby offered.

“There should be,” Data replied tapping in some schematics on the computer console, allowing the Papillon to examine and record images around and within the small craft.  


His expression was unreadable as the information began flashing up on the screen, then bore a note of assurance. “There are 40 lifeforms on board,” he confirmed, “But I am detecting no immediate life signs. I would assume they are all deceased,” he replied at length. "Furthermore this vessel appears to have been in this state for a number of decades."

Rigby nodded, “In that case I think we would be wise to leave it be. Besides we do not know if the gas giant is capable of pulling us into it at such a close range.”

They instructed Calloway to take them out and re-align their previous course. Given Data’s experience of encounters with the Borg, the three ex Starfleet veterans conceded this was the best option. 

Mel was deflated that the brief burst of excitement was over but could not argue. The ship swiftly manoeuvred out of the vecinity and it was back to business as usual.

******************************

Data was in Mel’s quarters. The lights were dimmed to 20 lux. A scented candle guttered on the dressing console and gentle ambient music played in the background. He was immersed in massaging Mel’s back when he stopped to ask a question. 

“You seem very fond of music Melissa, is it only the popular genres which are your preference?”

“Yes, I never got the hang of the classical stuff.” She grinned dismissively.

Data responded with a tight expression, “I have to confess that in general I am not fond of pop culture.” He admitted.

“That doesn't mean it is less significant than high arts.” Mel defended. “If I am honest with you I struggled with many of the classics in school."

“I will say however that your musical taste is diverse,” he observed. “You shift from dance music to rock and now to jazz, I cannot say with conviction that I have a passion for the latter. Riker, the Enterprise first officer on the other hand was the authority on it. So indulge me, who are your favourites?” 

“Hmm where to start? Duke Ellington?”

“A-ha, he was a true innovator, very influential,” Data appraised. “Who else?” 

“Count Basie.” 

“A very accomplished pianist, though self taught.”

“Billie Holiday.”

“I can see how you relate. Her voice has a certain emotional quality.” 

“Anita O’Day and Peggy Lee.”

“I suppose they have a seductive nuance about them.”

“ And not forgetting - Blossom Dearie.”

“Absolutely NOT!” Data replied slightly outraged, “That peeping little voice is quite irritating to my sensibilities.”

“Snob!” Mel retorted and gave him a friendly swipe, “But I suppose it’s all a matter of taste.”

“You would get on with my brother,” Data remarked, with a hint of mischief.

“What? B4?” she looked bemused.

“No, Lore.”

“Oh…” Her face fell and she flinched like he had slapped her. “That deformed freak who was only hell bent on domination and destruction?” Her voice was laced with disgust.

“I believe he was a fan of rock music, jazz and Edgar Allen Poe. You might have hit it off as the phrase goes.”

‘Ah....’ A beat passed as Mel considered his comments. She felt deflated. Just when she thought he might be warming to her this was a considerable step backwards.

“Yep right, that doesn’t do much for my ego but okay, let's move on....”

"I sense from our interactions that you lack self-esteem, has this always been so Melissa?"

"Pretty much. In my early years our local physician said that I suffered from an inferiority complex but I had no confidence. No one ever said I was good at anything so I believed it.  
"I never thought I was beautiful or even vaguely attractive thanks to the genes I inherited from my parents. I liken my appearance to a rough 19th century Terran peasant - if you access your engrams you will see what I mean." 

His head tilted almost imperceptibly for a second, then he paused before replying, "Melissa I fail to see that comparison. Although it is a somewhat stereotypical one. I believe you are placing too much importance on aesthetics."

"But that IS important in the beginning.” Mel argued, “ You know, first impressions? Yeah I know personality is the main thing but people have to want to seek you out and if the packaging is uninspiring then they can't be assed.” 

Data remained silent, which annoyed her slightly.

“I take it you are agreeing that I am unattractive by saying nothing?"

“Melissa, you do not have to fish for compliments,” he replied with a hint of haughtiness.

“Stars, you can be so brutally frank sometimes,” she sighed. “Anyhow I’m done with this already. Please go."

"Can I speak to you more about this later?" He enquired politely.

"I don’t know, perhaps... I'll see how I feel."

The door of her cabin swished as Data exited without a backward glance or another word being exchanged.

***********************

It was a few days before Mel could bring herself to interact with Data again.

She went about her stellar cartography duties systematically, engaging politely with him when required but did not take it further and ensured that she kept a safe but civil distance.  


When her work was done she retreated into her cabin and played jazz. ‘I Was Doing Alright’ by Carmen McCrae and ‘You’re Blasé’ by Ella Fitzgerald were her present favourites.

Eventually the deadlock had to break and Data managed to penetrate Mel’s obdurate wall of hostility. He took the direct approach, blocking her path as she went to leave the bridge and regaling himself with his most disarming expression. 

“Melissa why are you being so difficult and avoiding me?”

“It is obvious isn’t it?” She was unfazed by his entreaties.

“No it is not actually, though it is apparent that I have upset you in some way.”

“You have forgotten our terse exchange recently? Is your neural net malfunctioning? You do not have any tact or empathy – you are too quick to judge and jump to conclusions. That doesn’t make good therapist material”

“Am I tactless Melissa? Or is it how you interpret my words?”

“What does it matter how I interpreted them? I found them offensive, end of.” Melissa made to budge past him her head lowered.

“I am sorry that I caused you distress. Can we please continue our therapy and resume our conversation?”

Mel looked him straight in the eye for one moment then gave a curt nod, “OK, but please be mindful of my feelings. I know that you are using inter species methods but I am only half Gaiian. Maybe your artificial nature makes you unsuitable for this?”

Data winced slightly at the way Mel emphasised those last words but acknowledged her punctiliously.

*****************************************

He came to her cabin the usual appointed time that evening but the atmosphere was strained. Mel declined his offer of the usual relaxation massage therapy.

“I can see you are clearly still hurt.” He noted “However I cannot lie or embellish. I only speak plainly and after the fact.”

“O-kay….”

He smiled, and the expression melted some of her reserve. Can you lie down and let me resume the relaxation techniques please? You know it is mutually beneficial.”

Mel returned the smile and pondered on his connotation of 'mutually beneficial'. Did he get anything out of this? She exhaled deeply and got out her yoga mat, laying on her stomach and awaiting his skilled hands to soothe away her tension. As she relaxed into his touch he saw it as his cue to continue probing, and warned her he was going to delve into her more intimate private life.

"Have you had many romantic partners Melissa?"

She responded with a hard laugh "Do you really want to know?! What do you think? I am ugly and a socially inept mess. But to answer the question, No. Of course men used me as a vessel for their release and a few others were genuinely interested in me but were either more naive than B4 and wanted a mother figure or were coarse, control freaks who drank too much.”

"Synthanol?"

"No, the hard stuff, moonshine liquor. It's rife among the underclasses on Gaiia. Anyway, I had enough pride to decide that I did not want to be used but equally I didn't want to fight other people's battles."

" So apart from Mythos there was no one serious? "

"Only one other.” She faltered “He was quite wealthy but cruel and manipulative. I used to do everything he wanted at first. Then he became such a tyrant I could not stand it any longer. I rebelled against him. It was hard to break away but eventually he left Gaiia to set up business elsewhere. It was a lucky break more than anything."

The next discourse was much more unnerving for Mel, as Data enquired about her relationship with Mythos.  
She inhaled the scent of the Bajoran temple candle which kept her temperament calm and untrammelled. “It was good,” she proclaimed, “I loved him completely.”

However his next comment caught her completely off guard. “I am intrigued that you had such strong feelings for Commander Asha when from my observations you hold most artificial lifeforms in such low esteem,” he regarded, but his voice was more curious than offended.

“Yeah and?”

"Your remarks about B4 were especially vicious and cruel. They did after all infer lobotomising or castration. Would you not say that was rather ruthless?" 

“I believe you are aware of my Grimwold’s Syndrome.”

“I am, but what I am intrigued with is why you felt Mythos was different?”

“He looked so real, there was no uncanny valley effect. It was natural. Our interaction was unforced and….”

For the first time in a while she felt the tears welling up behind her eyes. When she spoke this way it was clear that despite her rose coloured imaginings of a few weeks back that nothing had changed. Mythos was dead and she was alone, empty, unloved.

Data gazed impassively at her emotional display. 

“I take it you had exceptionally deep feelings for him?”

“I did.” she admitted without reservation, ”We were not together long but we developed a strong bond. We had a very physical relationship. But things would have settled down over time I guess. He gave me this - " and she gestured to the delicate latinum bracelet dangling from her wrist.

"Carpe Dium?" Data quizzed, scrutinising the inscription on it.

Mel smiled through her mist of tears, “It is my motto. I lived by it and still do. Y’know we were so close we had no inhibitions and shared everything - and I even gave him a diminutive.”

“Curious. Please elaborate.”

“His saliva was sweet and alluring so I called him Cherry Pie” (‘stars why am I telling him this?’ she cringed. To herself)

“Did he eat?”

“Well yes actually. He did not isolate himself with some nutrient fluid all the time.”

“What was his favourite food?”

“Cheeseburger with fries and mint ice cream.” She smiled fondly at the memory.

“Intriguing…” Data noted with that infuriating superior expression. Evidently he did not condone junk food or indeed meat. Mel should have guessed he was a surrogate veggie.

“You do realise that he would not age and would outlive you.” He stated plainly.

“He died before we got round to discussing that,” Mel answered, “It is a cruel irony how things panned out. 

“Why did you destroy the synths?” Data’s focus had turned to her less endearing qualities.

Mel pulled a face, “I was angry and It gave me something to do. I did not want too much time on my hands to go crazy thinking about Mythos's death. It's a dangerous state for me to be in, as you have witnessed.

“It is weird – even though I vaguely suspected Mythos might not be Human, I ignored it. Then he showed me what he was, who his creators were. I reacted badly as I felt he had tricked me, but then I realised this was not helpful and we worked through it”

Data gave Mel a paternalistic frown, “Mythos was a Lieutenant Commander on a Starfleet ship Melissa. It is a responsible position. From what Rigby tells me you were reckless. You destroyed a holoimage of an A500 unit. You played your music at high volume. You had public outbursts.Yet Mythos did not rein in your flighty behaviour. How were you ever going to be an officer’s wife with this attitude?”

“I’m sorry? Huh?” Mel felt the heat of anger rise within her. Why the stars did he have to do this?

“That was a really cheap shot,” she admonished, her voice clearly trembling. “We loved each other what more can I say?”

All of a sudden Data looked more Human and fallible than ever. A flicker of remorse cast over his features. “I…am so….sorry.” He said softly, his body language mirrored his compunction.  
“I think my own emotions and judgement have caused me to overstep the boundaries,” he said, running a hand through his hair, causing it to be more unruly if that was possible.

“You are correct in your assumptions of my exo psychology skills Melissa. It is apparent that I possess the knowledge but I do not have the finesse to put it into practice. We shall conclude this session and I will leave you now. Goodnight Melissa.”

She declined to reply as he got up and left. Her cabin door swished shut and sighing heavily she leaned back against the wall and slid down it into a furtive crouching position, holding her head in her hands.  


In baring her soul to Data like this Mel knew she had not only opened the proverbial Pandora's Box of transgressions she thought had been left to rest but inadvertently reignited something within her which could either signal her salvation or yet another humiliating downfall. 

Little did she know how quickly and precipitously this would transpire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a hard chapter to write - I hope it doesn't come across as too boring and monotonous.  
> Mythos's favourite food is inspired by Jana and Soji in the ST: Picard episode 'Broken Pieces'  
> Blossom Dearie is one of my favourite jazz singers but is an acquired taste :-)


	12. A Momentary Lapse of Reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She is lonely, he is unattached. Should they connect? What could possibly go wrong?

As Data kneeled down to scrutinise and inspect the main engineering console, Mel could not help focussing on his well-defined ass accentuated by his black form fitting combat pants. 

She also derived a perverse pleasure from watching his shirt ride up out of his pants as he stretched into the conduit to reach some hard to locate area, exposing his toned midriff. Then once he re-emerged, tucking it in and smoothing his hair into place. Mel briefly and illicitly wondered what it might be like to have sex with him. 

She recalled something Ora had told her in passing the last time they got to speak together alone without intrusions: "You know what they say about the quiet brooding ones Mel - they are dynamite in the sack...." 

Mel dragged her gaze from Data’s pleasing form and fixed idly at a blinking screen on the science console, the one she used for stellar cartography. How she missed those intimate chats with her friend which were all too rare these days! 

Ora was still very much devoted to B4 and Mel could only deduce that it was his unrelenting stamina which was the main attraction, though she was intrigued with Ora’s recent disclosure that B4 had developed an interest in Federation Law.

‘Poignant I guess, given the shenanigans going on in Federation space at the moment,’ she mused archly.

Her ruminations had made her totally unaware of a faint tickling sensation on her hand, but as she unconsciously reached to rub the irritation away she met something hard and clearly alien under her touch. Her hand shrunk away instinctively and as she turned her head to look her face convulsed in terror.

"Aaagh!!! ' Her surprised yell cut through the deserted bridge.  
On her hand rested a12cm scorpion-like red bug.

Data, alerted to her panic slid up from the opening in the console he had been working on and came to her assistance. He frowned before instructing her “Do not touch it.”

"I bloody won’t don’t worry!” she retorted, her voice laced with panic, “I don't know how these things get in here when we're in the vacuum of space.”

"The spores of these creatures can survive in space. They can enter through ducts or the cooling system, anywhere.” He replied in a deadpan tone, “Stay where you are and do not move... "

“Well hurry up as this is freaking me out – “ Mel was trying hard to keep her wits about her. Luckily the creature did not move. 

Data went into the mess area and fetched a container which he placed carefully over the offending organism, scooping it inside before carefully taking it away and ejecting it through the waste conduit. He did not like killing anything but these were poisonous and he had no choice. 

"Thank you," Mel ventured coyly and watched him fix his waistline after his session of stretching into the consoles. "You could try wearing a jumpsuit you know. That would save you from all this hassle." She offered helpfully.

" Sorry?" Data paused and looked at Mel quizzically as if it was an affront. 

"Jumpsuit" she repeated. "Keeps you all in place. We have several in the stores down in cargo. I am sure you will find one that fits you." 

“Ah, I appreciate your counsel.” And he gave an expression spookily reminiscent of his former self.

Walking to the mess area she took a replicated fruit bar from the stores and returned to her workstation, nonchalantly sliding past the bemused android. She fought to maintain a look of cool aplomb but her attempt to focus on her act rather than where she was walking resulted in her tripping over the scattered parts and tools, accidentally falling into his arms in the process. 

They paused briefly to look at each other, before he took the cue and leaned into her, his perfectly bowed lips touching hers. She didn't fight it and allowed it to take its course, responding to him gratefully as the kiss deepened. 

Her arms reached around his shoulders then brushed down to his waist tugging up his shirt so she could run her hands over his bare skin underneath. 

This was a raw, desperate need for release. The tactile sensations rushed through her and she tried to process them simultaneously - Skin, hair, lips tongue….

He guided her backwards to his cabin, his mouth still locked to hers. Once through the door he pushed her onto the bed. Lips, tongue, saliva…..Her whole being felt white hot and rabid filled with crude visceral desire. 

Mel’s conscience and reasoning was wiped out, like a blank console screen. She was consumed with the urgent, irrational release of emotions.

She sighed softly as he pressed down onto her. She could feel his erection and ground her hips up to it, while dragging her fingernails roughly down his back. He thrust forward in a slow but forceful rhythm, and she arched her back to meet him. Her pussy throbbed and ached, yearning to feel him inside her.

Data paused his ministrations to unfasten his cargo pants, while at the same time Mel opened his shirt, revealing his sculpted midriff. His beautiful pale cock stuck out straight as it was freed from the restraints of his underclothes. Mel took it in her hands and slowly but firmly stroked him, inducing an involuntary moan from him in the process. 

"Do you want my cock, Melissa?" He offered.

His dropping in a vulgar word compelled her mind to scream ‘Oh yes, yes!’, but retrieving some control she vocalised a casual “Uh huh.” 

Data took the cue to expertly peel down her bodysuit and pants, firmly pulling her up against his beautiful body and smoothly sliding his thick length into her wetness, his breath hitching slightly as he did so. 

He thrust right in to the hilt and Mel groaned in gratified pleasure, willingly squeezing onto him. His hands slid under her buttocks as if trying to push her in even deeper, and she responded by pressing up to his hips and they rocked rhythmically together - she came on the fourth thrust. 

"Oh my stars! You dirty little b....... " 

It had never happened so quickly before. She rode out the intense spasms, grinding shamelessly on his cock to help her exude the maximum benefit from it, then pulled away, pausing for a few seconds to catch her breath before ordering him to kneel before her.

Taking hold of his head she gently but firmly guided his face onto her swollen folds. He buried himself eagerly into her, spearing his firm tongue into her flood of sticky wetness. 

He wondered briefly why she hadn't let him climax but was soon lost in the delights of her intimate wetness, her pulsing vaginal muscles responding to the relentless savage rhythm of his tongue lathing her clit and alternately spiking into her perenium. 

"Oh, oh please don't stop this is so good!" she pleaded, writhing in unison to the rhythm of his expert tongue.

Her orgasm was more slow building this time but when it came was stronger and deeper than the first. 

"Say my name," he moaned looking up from her flooding wetness. 

"Mmn... A'kran" She could not explain why she used his alias, maybe it just sounded more romantic, less clinical?

"No.... use my real name Melissa." For a nanosecond she wondered why there was no hint of curiosity in his voice.

‘Don't spoil the moment you spiteful ass!’ she uttered in frustration.

"Say it please." 

She complied as she had now lost all control of her faculties and was coming apart, but it sounded so weird. He was so NOT what his previous incarnation represented. He was real and passionate and so ‘there’… This was no machine. Her initial assumption must be correct - he was a Human masquerading as an android.

As if to read her thoughts he murmured, “Does it excite you what I am? An artificial construct?”

“No,” she replied unconsciously. ”Because I don’t believe you are an android. You are Human.”

“I can assure you I am not – “

“Show me and prove it to me,” Mel panted, still recovering from the orgasm.

“Now is not the time,” he almost purred, “ And now if you please it is my turn." 

Data arose from his kneeling position and lifted Mel up towards him, pushing her against the wall as Mythos had once done, her legs involuntarily wrapping his slim waist and taking his cock deep into her. 

Each thrust producing a wanton whimper of his real name in response. It suddenly sounded a little perverse, the cold incongruous moniker so juxtaposed to his very Human responses, almost as if he now had instincts and urges. 

It was uncanny - Mel fleetingly conjectured if he WAS an android what exactly had Maddox and Soong been proposing when they made these creations? Whatever it was Data was definitely their Magnum Opus. 

She grasped his shoulders to gain purchase, digging her nails into his back once again. She watched his blue eyes grow wild, his pupils blown. She relished how his whole being disengaged from its usual prim demeanour. His hair was a total mess, his beautiful lips configured almost pornographically, and she was blissfully consumed by his complete abandonment of decorum. 

Mel could only gasp in total astonishment at what an accomplished and passionate lover Data was. As he drove into her and a third intense climax washed over her, the lewd convulsive spasms causing her to expel fluids all over his pubis, she sensed Data's engorged penis shudder before he gave a stifled grunt and released his hot synthetic fluids deep into her. 

“That was incredible, I have no other words…” she appraised weakly, exhaling a sigh of complete delight. Her being was boneless, devoid of anything but a foggy mellifluous rush of carnal gratification and….serenity. 

Then time restarted and sobriety set in. They looked at each other like a pair of errant Starfleet cadets who were saying ‘who are you?’ in the aftermath of a crazy bong smoking session, and contemplated on what the universe had just happened between them. 

***************************************

Embarrassment, an awkward silence ensued as they retrieved their clothes trying to reconfigure their usual stance and resume the status quo of their fundamental duties.

Mel managed to make it through the rest of the day with the aftermath of their torrid coupling lingering on her person and fighting to prevent it inadvertently clouding her judgement.

She was relieved at the respite of finally logging off and made her way gingerly to her cabin.

Later Mel found Ora, who was free that evening as B4 had his head buried in some tome covering Federation writs and torts and clasping her hand Mel implored “Can I talk in private?”

“Of course.” Ora smiled, a little perplexed by the urgency of Mel’s request but happy to comply.

They made their way to a quiet part of the rest area. No one else was around. Data was in his lab and the two ex-Starfleet Rigby and Calloway were busy discussing something in the cockpit.

“OK Mel. What is it?” 

“Well er….about me and Data..”

“Yes?” Ora looked slightly worried, hoping another conflict hadn’t broken out.

“I think I have made a terrible mistake.”

“How so?” Ora’s concern deepened.

“We had…. sex.”

The last word came out as if it was a charged deadly weapon. A beat passed but Mel could sense no discernible reaction from Ora, then she uttered one heavily loaded word:

“Oh.”

“Exactly. I don’t know what came over me. It just happened.” Mel sounded sheepish.

“Was he in agreement?” Ora’s eyes begged askance.

“Oh yes it was all consensual. But I get the feeling that he was just using me as a physical oil change.” Mel sounded agitated – and slightly disappointed.

“He is an android, you said they don’t have such urges.” Ora replied objectively.

“I know but that’s the thing Ora. I don’t buy that this guy IS an android. As I said before he seems so much like a Human disguising himself as one.”

Ora could now see the shoe ready to drop, “What makes you so sure?”

“You know that B4 has an off switch right?”

“Yes on his back but – “

“This dude doesn’t have one.” 

“Did Mythos?”

“Yes it was situated behind his left ear. It was discreet and concealed by his hair. The switch is there as a safety protocol and is mandatory under some rules and regulations for robotics. I can find nothing on Data. The empirical evidence is therefore that he is not an android and more to the point he is someone else entirely.”

“Who is he then? On Ghulian IV you remarked how he looked just like Data.”

“He could really BE called A’kran – a double bluff if you like.” Mel proposed. “After all, Altan Soong and his associates were experimenting with this cloning thing. The biological genes of the Soongs are so strong that it would not be hard to clone a Human version. Who is to say Altan himself is not a clone? I don’t know Ora…..they are all so underhand and sneaky.” 

Ora nodded but this was clearly going over her head. “I don’t know, maybe Altan wanted to re-write the rules and ditch the off switch just to be edgy?” She offered at length. “But regardless, if Data – or A’kran - is serious about having a relationship with you then you could ask him outright. He owes it to you to be honest.”

Mel omitted to add that she had already done this and been met with an evasive response, but she could not be fagged to discuss it any longer as she was tired and hungry.

“S’pose you’re right,” she sighed, arising from the sofa, “Thanks for listening Ora, I appreciate your support.”

“Any time,” Ora smiled, “Now I better get back to B4 as he will be missing me and wondering where I am.”

Mel nodded with a smile, hiding her annoyance at the mechanoid’s staunch influence over her friend.

‘Well I suppose I should get something to eat before I collapse,’ Mel mused to herself with an empty sigh as she made her way to the mess area, ‘I wonder what the wonderful replicator has to offer today? Well if there’s nothing else I fancy there’s always chicken noodles…’ and she visualised Mythos’s favourite cheeseburger meal with a flinch of guilt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...what can I say? It was a long time coming but I hope it was enjoyable and entertaining :-))  
> My thanks must go to my fellow writers for their inspiration in writing this chapter, Cerephone, MayRaven1798, Strangeworks and last but not least my fellow Welsh writer Mistress Scribbles who to my knowledge is no longer active on the fandom but whose ideas really helped this come to life - 'bore da' whereever you are.....


	13. Sexual Revolution/Signs of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pure frantic lust and Mel takes Data 'apart'.....

Mel had to wait some time before she got her opportunity to get into Data’s lab. He was busy discussing the bridge console modifications with Rigby and Calloway for a good couple of hours. The chronometer in the rest area read that it was 21:00 hours before they finally called it a day and went their separate ways.

Meanwhile she could not avoid replaying the scene of their lovemaking over and over in her head. How Data worked foreplay in a much slower, more indulgent fashion than any of her former lovers, including Mythos. She deliberated whether it was due to his amassed life skills and experiences stored in that positronic brain or a refinement in his programming – or something else?

She couldn’t decide. Whoever or whatever he was she had to admit he was accomplished in this area. She visualised how he took time to kiss upwards and gently nip her shoulders and neck, brushing his lips along the hollows above her collar bone, his tongue and warm breath leaving a tingling sensation on her sensitive skin, compelling her to beg for him to consummate the act.

‘No.’

Mel switched off her thoughts like a light and walked down to the stern end of the ship to where Data’s lab was situated. 

This was the first time she had ventured here and she knew she was defying his wishes to stay away. That however was the whole point, if he was hiding something and was a blatant phoney she had a duty to call him out, whatever petty rules and ethics he tried to impose.

When she arrived the door was open, shedding a pale shaft of light into the corridor, he was obviously confident that no one would intrude here.

She felt a slight trepidation as she crept forward and entered, her eyes scanned the room and she was astonished by what she saw. She had expected a clinical organised space with white minimalistic workspaces and orderly cybernetics tools but what she found instead was one chaotic mess – ancient books, tools and parts were scattered across makeshift tables, shelves were stuffed with curios and paraphernalia. She wondered how it had got here. When he arrived he carried only one hard crate. This looked like a lifetime of clutter. Perhaps he was some sort of cyber Mary Poppins? She stifled a smile at the thought.

Data was studying a PADD absorbedly, his sea-glass blue eyes clearly concentrating on some impossible schematic. His silky brown hair had been combed back but was slightly rumpled and thick strands fell onto his forehead. Mel fought to push back a flicker of unwelcome desire. She had more urgent things to address with this guy.

“Hrmph.” She furtively cleared her throat to announce her presence.

Data looked up sharply but his face was deadpan and his voice laconic, “What are you doing here Melissa?”

“I want to know who exactly are you?” She demanded without preamble.

“You know who I am Melissa. Why ask?”

“Because I never got a straight answer from you. I will cut straight to the chase, I think you are a Human imposter posing as Data.”

“What proof do you have to support this? He inquired coolly.

“You act like a Human. You spend a lot of time here, how do we know you are not replicating food to eat secretly and performing organic bodily functions while you are holed up here?”

He fixed her an indignant stare. "I spend a great deal of time with you and your crewmates Melissa. Do you think I would not require sustenance or comfort breaks during that time? It would be impossible for me to go without for all those hours.”

“You could make an excuse and sneak out at any time.” Mel countered. “You can’t fool me that easily."

“Anything else?” He maintained his obdurate look.

“Where is your off switch? Don't tell me you haven’t got one - Mythos told me it is mandatory even for your gung ho maverick Human brother. Your biological brother perhaps?” 

A beat passed. “It is true I do not have one visibly. It is within me here." He pointed to his sternum fifth rib down. "I have been told that my programming is virtually foolproof so I will never experience the malfunctions I did in my previous life but it is there just in case.”

Mel did not notice any perceptible agitation in his demeanour, but he looked dishevelled, his shirt was untucked one side and there were grubby marks on the sleeves of his coat.  
For someone who required no sleep he sure looked like he could do with a good nap.

Mel was not finished with her accusations however, there were a few holes she still had to close off.

"Why was Altan Soong so keen to have you and B4 off Ghulian IV if you are both assumed dead by the Federation?” She asked pointedly.

“A purely precautionary measure,” he replied, mirroring her tone. 

“I can understand why you would be of interest if they found the truth but didn't Altan say B4 is in pieces in the Daystrom Institute?” 

“Correct, however as Starfleet intelligence believes the attack on Mars may have been Romulan instigated and as B4 had a root kit downloaded into his matrix this might impel them to look further if they discover that the head is a fake. This could lead them on the trail to Ghulian IV."

“And you? If you really ARE Data that is?”

“As far as the Federation is concerned I died aboard the Scimitar six years ago. The attempts to recover my matrix from B4 failed and that was that.” 

“What about Lore?” 

“Lore was damaged beyond repair and disassembled a long time ago.” 

“I suppose there is only one sure fire way to settle this, show me you ARE an Android, do something to prove it to me.”

Data pushed back his hair from his forehead and his sea glass eyes flickered briefly as he rolled up his shirt sleeve and pressed a spot beneath his wrist, it opened and she could view the intricate array of wires and polymer within.

“Very good, but you could simply be a Human with cyborg parts. How strong are you?”

He located two 8cm parsteel blocks and crushed them effortlessly in each hand. Then walked over to a green 1.5 meter drum in the corner of the room, lifting it and bouncing it on his chest – tearing the shoulder of his shirt in the process but inflicting no other visible damage.

“I can see that you are deriving a perverse pleasure from this Melissa.” He observed, as he had not overlooked her transfixed expression. 

“Am I? How can you say that?”

“I can see how your vital signs shift – your breathing, your temperature, your dilating pupils….”

“Okay right,” (but he could simply be memorising this from Data’s matrix, she noted to herself)

Data took off his ruined shirt and tossed it into the replicator. Stripped down to his undershirt she could see his defined physique and scrutinised it for any Human imperfections. She found none. She could also see from the tenting in his pants that he was aroused himself.

He saw her staring at it and gave a pseudo ornery grin, “It vexes me that I am powerless to control these new instinctive urges.” He remarked

“Then don’t,” Mel retorted flippantly.

What ensued happened in a split second. One minute they were talking at a respectable distance the next Data had literally slammed Mel over one of the workbenches, scattering parts and implements in all directions.

She felt him unzip her bodysuit, hastily relieving her of it, while she pulled up his undershirt and tore open his cargo pants. In no time he had sought out and breached her hot wetness and was driving into her. Simultaneously they greedily explored each other’s bodies with eager hands – a stroke to the breast and a thumb over a nipple, a scratch of fingernails over sculpted pecs and broad shoulders. 

This was quick and fierce and dirty, an effortless union of intertwined limbs, coupled sex organs an exchange of bodily fluids and the candid brutal expressions of need and lust.  
They reached climax within a few seconds of each other, riding out their desires in panting gasps and sobs, sliding from the bench and collapsing to the floor of the lab. They continued to embrace, as if gaining succour from each other.

After several minutes reality checked in as it had earlier in the day after their corybantic lovemaking session. Data helped Mel to her feet and she regained her balance and faculties. Despite the enjoyment she could not push the nagging feeling that there was something wrong in this, and a one off mistake had now notched up to a two off one.  
He meanwhile looked at her in a less ominous manner.

“I do not have a circadian rhythm as such but I can mimic one, as it is now rather late do you wish to come to my quarters to sleep?”  
Melissa cautiously agreed, wondering if this was now a permanent thing or if she was going to be cast aside like a burned out warp coil.

***********************************

The door of Data’s cabin swished open and he called up the lighting to 30 lux. It was as Mel expected orderly and precise, not a bit like the lab.  
Everything was minimal, but despite his assertions that he did not sleep as a general rule, he had retained the double bed.

Mel ran past everything he had told her in defence of his existence as an android but there was still that nagging doubt he could be lying.  
They kissed, she noticed they had not done so during their recent exchange and he randomly remarked, “Do I taste of anything Melissa?”

“Not really,” she answered truthfully. “That is why I am still not 100 percent convinced that you are an artificial lifeform.”

Data rolled his eyes and gave a distinct huff, “Pfft…not this again Melissa!”

“Well Mythos did have his own flavour and there should at least be a trace of mineral oil or something in your fluids, even a plasticky taste – that's icky mind you.”

“What is it that you want me to prove?"

“Show me something that tells me once and for all you are NOT a Human impersonator. It is easy to do tricks if you have cybernetic parts and you can always act and memorise how Data behaved, even down to not using contractions.”

He sighed heavily, “Fine, you asked for it….”

Carefully he reached up to his skull and slid his fingers under the hairline. As if by magic the top of his cranium faintly clicked and popped up. He carefully detached it, hair and all, and leaned forward so she could view the silver grey of his positronic brain and the delicate criss-crossing wires and lights that danced across them, indicating synaptic activity.

“Oh my stars.” She whispered and thereafter could say no more.

“Are you satisfied?” He inquired blankly.

Mel nodded and smiled sheepishly as he gently replaced the top of his cranium.

Peeling off her bodysuit and sliding into bed wearing her shorts and cropped top, Mel waited for Data to join her before shifting up to him and allowing him to spoon her. As she felt sleep starting to encroach on the fringes of her consciousness she regaled herself with the fact that she had successfully allayed her suspicions but in the process had metaphorically speaking, taken him apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used two Floyd song titles here as they are both loosely relevant to the plot (what there is of it, haha!)  
> It is also pertinent to mention here regards Data's chosen attire - I got the cargo pants idea from Soji in 'ST Picard' who wears them in the episodes 'Et in Arcadia Ego 1 and 2'  
> Also credit to David Mack and Jeffery Lang for their inspiration in my creation of 'Data 2.0'


	14. Wish You Were Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Ibiza City Rag’ – The crew of the Papillon stop at FreeCloud for some much needed Retail and Recreation.

The ship picked up the signal from FreeCloud not long after Mel and Data’s illicit coupling.

“So we are in the Iconia Sector?” Mel inquired with a hint of excitement.

“Appears so,” Calloway grinned in return.

FreeCloud was an M class planet about the size of Venus in the Terran solar system, orbiting the binary stars of the Alpha Doradus system.

They had made the unanimous decision to rendezvous here for equipment, supplies and other more recreational activities. Although it was slightly out of their trajectory, few if any Starfleet ships came this way so it was safe even for synthetics to disembark and explore.

As they approached the planet’s outer atmosphere, Mel gaped at the configuration of its legume coloured surface – there was a huge land mass formation not unlike the Terran Paleozoic and Mesozoic era continent Pangea she had read about as a girl.

Brash advertising holograms began flashing onto their comms screens, it seemed that every shade of business venture had pitched up on this rock due to its maximum security commercial and information services and minimal restrictions on personal liberties. 

“I think it is best to beam down on Ibiza City rather than Stardust,” Advised Data. “Whilst an equally bustling metropolis it is not as outwardly corrupt and disorderly.”

More pertinently it was perfect for the android to walk around without fear of being recognised or anyone picking up his artificial nature, even though he gave off Human bio signals.  
The Papillon approached the orbital docking bay and acknowledged FreeCloud Orbital Control for permission to enter their airspace.

“Do you want to do this?” Data offered Mel. “You have the expressed desire to have some involvement and understanding in the operation of a ship so this is simple way to start.”  
She acknowledged with a small nod of the head and cautiously stepped up to the control panel. Data guided her through the commands on the screen and her face became fixed with intense concentration.

The speed dropped to impulse and then slowed as they approached the docking ring. Data assisted as she steered the vessel to a vacant holding clamp and carefully, slowly engaged with it. The ship gave a dull thud and shudder as it secured to the berth. 

“Well done Melissa,” Data appraised smiling.

She returned his smile and felt proud and significant for the first time in ….well, many years as it happened. Furthermore her recent passionate trysts had also raised the dopamine levels in her brain allowing an uplifting song from Earth's so-called 'Great American Songbook', which she had been studying recently to lodge itself into her psyche:

“What a difference a day makes,  
Twenty-four little hours,  
Brought the sun and the flowers,  
Where there used to be rain….”

Walking away from the control console, she asked brightly “I can get my hair cut in this place?”

“Yes,” Data replied, giving her an assiduous glance before counselling everyone:  
“It is best to wear inconspicuous clothing which is cool and breathable as the climate can be hot and damp here, and take these comms devices but keep them out of sight,” He gestured to five small flat oval shaped gadgets on the main console, then turned to his android brother, who was lost in thought on the fringes of the group.

“B4 as you would incite too much curiosity with your appearance and demeanour and do not emit life signs you will stay on board.”

The android who had been quiet and discreet for the most part gave a silent nod to Data’s instructions before replying plainly, “I have my law books to keep me occupied.”

“That is acceptable,” added Data, “But if there are any issues you must send us a comms message immediately.

“Will do.” B4 confirmed and returned to his studies.

Mel turned excitedly to Ora “I can’t wait to get this sorted as it has been bugging me for ages,” she grinned playfully, fingering the unruly strands of her growing out hairstyle. She knew it was not her best feature at any time. 

“Okay, let’s get ready to rumble as they say.”

The others, notably Data looked to her in puzzlement as they did not know this expression. They dispersed and agreed to make their way to the transporter pad once they had changed into appropriate gear and collected their storage containers and carrying panniers.

Entering her cabin Mel searched her closet and contemplated the few garments she had brought from her home planet. Finally she decided on the skort she had once worn on a walk with Mythos back on Gaiia Prime, it stirred some ghosts but it was the coolest item of apparel she had. To finish the ensemble she donned a pair of thick soled boots and an oversized cap and hoped it did not look too silly or frivolous.  


When she was ready she made her way out to the main area where the others were gathered. Ora had put on midnight blue wide leg trousers and a loose white top, the guys were in rough grey pants, t shirts and black jackets. 

Then she saw Data. 

As he approached she felt her breath hitch and her pulse start to increase as she took in the sight. He wore what appeared to be Terran style jeans with a white shirt tucked into them and a distressed tan leather jacket, Everything showed off his butt and his figure to perfection.

He had combed his hair in a more controlled style but still slightly mussed and his features seemed subtly different. It was something to do with his jawline and nose but did not detract from his beauty in any way. Mel figured this was a trick he used to morph his face to avoid being recognised and that this was what he had done on Coppelius. Nevertheless she had to admit the whole effect was stunning.

The assembled crew made their way collectively to the transporter and Rigby initiated the command:

“Energise.”

**************************************

The sudden rush and explosion of noise, colour and frantic activity on FreeCloud was a shock after the quiet and almost sedate atmosphere aboard the Papillon.

For Mel, the taste of freedom was overwhelming, intoxicating. Her head glanced back and forth and side to side at stalls and booths or larger brash glass and neon structures like the big stores and commercial ventures she knew from Miron City. However she had never seen so many different races and cultures in one place before and the pace of life here was decidedly frenetic.

She smiled at Data and he gave her a reassuring look in return but she sensed he was absorbed in some pressing matter so did not push him. He did not initiate intimate contact although he stayed close to her.

His appearance sucked her in like some powerful vortex - she was completely focussed on his pleasing form and his immaculate clothes. She felt a sense of pride that someone so physically attractive, accomplished and self-assured was by her side. 

She tried out a flirtatious expression on him as the ambience of exotic musical sounds began to emanate from several of the stalls and weave over her, but instead of any amorous rejoinder he looked at her benevolently as a father to a child. “Here is the salon,” he announced, directing Mel’s attention to a glass atrium flooded with ultra violet lighting. Loud brash music reverberated through the building and the familiar smell of lacquer pervaded the air.

Ah, hah yes,” She smiled coyly, clasping her hands together in feigned delight.

“Once you are ready please comms me and I will collect you,” Data instructed in a neutral tone. Mel gave an affirmative nod but could not fight the disappointment seeping into her at his tepid reaction to her playful dalliances. Maybe he felt they were inappropriate in this setting or he didn’t like public displays of affection full stop?

She left him and entered the salon. As she did so a tall thin alien woman with long neon-shaded multicoloured locks and a diaphanous gown with pockets filled with scissors, brushes and razors, appeared and greeted her, “Hello madam what can I do for you?” The stylist spoke in tourist English (the universal language here it seemed) negating the need for a translator.  
Mel explained her preferences and the stylist led her to a chair.

When she was done Mel could not believe the difference that restoring her colour and reshaping the straggly ends to its precision cut made to her mood and her confidence. She felt for the comms device in her pocket and messaged Data as discreetly as possible. Luckily the throngs of people were too preoccupied with their own business to bother checking her out.

She smiled when she saw Data come into view. He was regaled with some cables slung diagonally across his body and carried a grey metal strong case. She did not enquire what these items were or their purpose. She felt it too intrusive. She reached up to kiss him but while he returned the gesture she felt that he was uncomfortable with it. As hard as Mel tried to push it away, a sense of dread vaguely similar to the desolation she felt over Mythos, kept repeatedly but briefly surging up inside her.

Thankfully at that moment her attention was drawn away by the gently resonant sound of a gong and the scent of incense sticks so she searched for where this came from and located it to a medium size stall to her left. It was a meditation centre, evidently catering for various practices throughout the sector.

She looked at Data with imploring eyes, “Can we go in?” She thought he might agree given he was familiar with the practice of massage and relaxation but he stiffly declined. “You go,” he said, “I will wait by this food stall. Bear in mind we only have so much time and you still need to eat.” 

“Okay.”

Mel dived eagerly into the stall and was struck by how the cacophony of street sounds was inexplicably muffled out. It was calm and quiet within. Soft tinkling meditational music filled the air along with the soothing scent. She was seeking out a suitable gong to accompany her gong bath sessions. There were many on display – from small brass ones for a few pieces of latinum to large hanging squares of brass costing many hundreds.

The stall owner was an imposing Bajoran woman, which was appropriate and Mel was struck at their vague resemblance to Ora – the long dress and the voluminous crimped hair but there it ended. This woman was haughty and obviously aware of their stunning presence but was friendly enough.

After perusing the gongs for several minutes Mel decided on a medium sized round brass one hanging from an elaborate frame, which when tapped emitted a long and sweet note and resonated enough to provide the necessary ambience she was looking for. 

“Is there anything else you require madam?” The Bajoran looked at Mel with askance as she wrapped the artefact and Mel scanned over some elaborate softly woven exercise mats. She selected one with a mix of blue and yellow yarns. “This,” she gestured, “And these…” she picked up some chunks of exotically hued raw stones for carving, which were lying on a table nearby.

When she had completed the transaction Mel met up again with Data whose stark expression conveyed a slight measure of irritation. He advised she should eat. 

There was by chance a tent set up incongruously next to the meditation stall with the wondrous smells and sounds of exotic cooking coming from within.

Mel knew Data did not consume food, but for herself she ordered some creamy potato like stew and a spicy vegetable dish which was delicious. It revived and invigorated her with its fiery blend of spices, almost like the Terran cumin, coriander and chilli she had tasted in the canteens of the Terran settlers on Gaiia Prime.

Data waited patiently while she consumed the meal, then once sated she wiped her mouth delicately so as not to offend his sensibilities and they made their way to rejoin the others.

When they arrived back on the ship everyone was enthusing vociferously at what they had seen or bought or experienced. It warmed Mel to see such fervour and excitement among them. After all they had been out in the wilderness for a long time and it was good to shake off the ‘space legs’.

She noticed Ora had bought an elaborate necklace and a stunning shawl woven in a delicate silver thread, almost cobweb like, but before Mel could grab her attention to comment B4 had rushed up to meet her with open arms gushing ‘Oh my love these are SO beautiful!” 

Mel just sighed, rolling her eyes and walked away, hoping to seek out her own object of affection.

He was not around. Evidently he had taken the dubious looking objects he had purchased and disappeared with them to his lab. She waited for a few minutes holding her gong, stones and mat feeling a little lost and deflated but then Data returned – he still looked incredible and Mel could not stop a smile of delight painting across her lips.

“Would you like some tea?” he offered and Mel nodded. Once the beverage was ready she gestured to the quiet part of the rest area and asked him to sit with her.

“What do you want Melissa?” She sensed he was in a hurry to do something but could not fathom what exactly.

“Just a chat that’s all, the others are occupied with their partners and -”

“Fine, I am happy to sit with you.”

“Thanks. Data - can I say something personal to you?”

“Go ahead.” She saw a slight shadow of suspicion on his features.

"Well…I was thinking today while I was in the salon, you know it must have been fantastic serving aboard the Enterprise. Did you know that Captain Vandermeer, Mythos's superior knew Jean Luc Picard?”

“No”. he replied flatly. “How so?”

“Apparently Vandermeer served as first officer on the ship of one of Picard's academy pals who only had good things to say about him. Jean Luc Picard…. seems to be an incredible person,” Enthused Mel.

“That he is,” Data affirmed formally.

" Do you ever want to contact him? After all he must carry a lot of baggage since you... "

“Admiral Picard is growing old." Data interrupted tersely "I want him to remember me the way I was. I have however not forgotten what he did for me.”

Mel realised she had for some reason touched a raw nerve. “Sorry.” She muttered ruefully, looking down at her mug.

“That is fine Melissa,” he replied with an unexpectedly warm smile, before leaning forward to kiss her forehead. It seemed his reserve was melting now that they were alone. She hoped so.  
Then to her mild surprise he decided to continue their exchange.

" My brother Altan and I have created a program that will enable Jean Luc Picard to have closure in the way he would wish if he ever finds our home world.”

"Can you please tell me what it is?" 

"No I prefer if it is kept secret." With his reply he seemed to close like a fan. 

'Here we go again, a step backward....' Mel concluded he might have liked her but not enough to drop his covert and suspicious defenses. 

She had to concede that he might never change his ways on some things. When all was said and done she was an alien with no discernible accomplishments or achievements. Even on the Ibn Majid the commissioned officers had treated her with indifference and disdain, so she accepted she would never be privy to intimate facts about Starfleet’s hierarchy. 

‘You can take the android out of Starfleet but you can’t take Starfleet out of the android - whatever fancy reboot he is given.’ She mused cynically to herself. At times like these she yearned for Mythos.

Deciding to shrewdly bring their conversation to an end she got to her feet and addressed Data in a cool tone: “If you want to play poker I am sure Rigby and Calloway will oblige.” And throwing him an arch grin she left the rest area to change, shower and probably…meditate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'What a Difference a Day Makes' written by Maria Grever (English translation Stanley Adams) EB Marks Publishing 1934.  
> The sub title of this chapter 'Ibiza City Rag' is a permutation of episode 5 of ST Picard: 'Stardust City Rag'


	15. What Do You Want From Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mel meditates then meddles, to her cost...

Mel sat on the floor of her cabin, on the new mat she had acquired. She had lit a candle which cast shadows over the curved wall. Her eyes closed and her body relaxed. An incense stick burned and she relished the soothing silence.

She concentrated totally on controlling her breathing, inhaling deeply through one nostril then the other – the moon side and the sun side. Then she exhaled with a whisper. She sounded the new gong she had bought. It resonated gently in a long even note. 

She continued to breathe in…and out. Allowing her mind to wander briefly but then coming back to her focus.  
She tapped the gong again and chanted: “ I am beautiful, I am bountiful, I am blissful, I am enough…. “

She stretched and emptied her mind for a few moments, then ended the meditation session.

Mel’s focus snapped back to harsh reality, and she ruminated over the events during her meetings with Data over the last few days. They appeared to be in some sort of relationship that much was clear, but she did not know which box to place it in. 

Was it pure lust, and they were simply using each other as vessels to release sexual tension? Could Data even feel lust in the normal sense?

Was it genuine attraction but they were both too repressed to display their feelings? Mel could not answer but it was certainly true that there had been no outward indication from him that he felt anything for her, or her for him for that matter. She was subconsciously holding back.

She did know that Mythos had been very demonstrative and open about his feelings for her. Likewise Mel had reciprocated this without question. She could only assume that she unconsciously mirrored the behaviour of her partner. 

All the same, even the most underhand of her past lovers had plied her with allusions of affection, endearments and praised her ‘beauty’ what there was of it.

It was disconcerting how Data kept all his cards close to his chest. He was full of secrets and he had a LOT of baggage. Much more than Mel did. Maybe he was just made that way? Or….

Was he carrying a torch for somebody else? She didn’t think it was a woman but she did wonder about Geordi LaForge. If Data WAS gay then that would explain his detachment – it would show that sex with her was just a convenient service: ‘any port in a storm’ as the old saying went. 

Love? Now that was a whole other ball game and something not so freely given by Data it seemed. Mythos had told her he loved her without reservation but he was uncomplicated. He had no history as such. Data was infinately more complex and clearly someone who took his time to work out his feelings, and even then might be reticent in displaying them. Given this evidence love from Data seemed a very distant prospect, especially where Mel was concerned.

******************************

All the next day Mel wrestled with her conscience. She believed she was still sufficiently detached in this affair to control her willpower. To say ‘no’ to him, pack it up and move on before it got too messy. They could remain civil, even friends, and shrug it off as ‘a momentary lapse of reason’ due to spending too much time in deep space.

Mel perused over her work, applying her full attention to it and pushing the awkward, ugly question of principled morals and common sense to the back of her mind.

It was only when she sat in the rest area after supper, engrossed in the fantasy world of ‘Gormenghast’ and vaguely hoping that Ora would appear to relieve her solitude that the stab of desperation scooted to the forefront of her thoughts. Mel looked up to the caged light on the Bulkhead and sighed. She put down her PADD.

Against her better judgement she went to the lab to seek out Data.

Her approach this time was more confident, she saw the shaft of white light from the open door and approached it without any thought of announcing her presence.

Data spun round at the intrusion with a look on his face that was clearly fury. “What are you doing here?”

“I…I wanted to see you?”

“What for? You know I am busy here in the evenings.” He snapped almost ferociously, as if she had walked in on some deadly secret.

It hurt like a whiplash and tears began to sting behind her lashes as she remembered their recent heated tryst in this place. “I …I wanted to know,” Mel gulped unable to form the words she wanted to say.

His features quickly softened and he placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, “I am sorry for snapping at you, did you say you wanted to know something?”

“I want to know where I stand with YOU!!!” she suddenly burst out, regaining her confidence. “I don’t know what you think of me – if anything. I don’t know if you are attracted to me because you never say anything nice to me. Am I doing things right? Do you enjoy what I am doing? The bottom line is do I mean anything to you or am I just a cheap fuck?”

Mel felt better for letting off steam, but throughout it Data remained stoic. Not once did he try to contradict her or defend himself. That alone seemed to be telling Mel what she feared.

“What do you want me to say to you Melissa?” He replied carefully at length his demeanour remaining cool, though not unfriendly. Again it was like he was talking to a difficult child.

“Let me lay it on the line Data, are we in a relationship or just fuck-bunnies for a few weeks until you get bored?”

A beat passed, he now wore a decidedly uncomfortable expression. He was incapable of lying. It seemed an age before he finally replied:  
“I like you very much Melissa, I enjoy your company and our lovemaking. But you are asking too much of me. It is much too early to determine if I am in love or not….”

Mel’s eyes felt sore and gritty, she was suddenly tired and exhausted. Her gaze idly flickered over the messy workbench until something caught her eye. It was an innocuous black gadget, like a communication device. He had been holding it when she entered the lab and put it down abruptly. She thought it was some sort of tool, now she could discern from its small blinking LED display that he had used it to contact someone.

Mel swallowed hard and tried to work up enough courage to ask him about it. Finally she found the words, “What - is this?” she asked pointing at the gadget.

She saw his expression darken immediately. “It is not your business.”

“Excuse me but it is if you are contacting someone else, another lover perhaps? In secret? I may be obtuse but I am not a fool Data.”

He cut eyes at her briefly and then upturned his head to look at the curve of the bulkhead above as if seeking guidance from some celestial synthetic diety. It was correct - he couldn’t lie.  
« It is a quantum particle disentanglement device,” He replied crisply. “Before you ask it is so I can talk to someone without the waveband being detected on the usual subspace comms link. In other words it is a highly protected covert transmission.”

“And who are you talking to which merits such a secure line?” Mel inquired with a slight quiver to her voice.

“Geordi La Forge.”

“Are you in regular dialogue with him?” 

“Affirmative.”

Mel was beginning to put two and two together. The pieces were falling into place and she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“I take it that your liaisons with him must be extremely important to you given the risks of contacting a Starfleet officer when you know the consequences of being caught?”

“You are correct. They are.”

“Then can I ask a personal question?” Mel ventured, fearing the inevitable, “Please do not hedge or fudge the issue. I just want the truth. Do you love Geordi?”

“Yes I do.” 

The reply was simple and blunt and from the time it left Data’s lips Mel’s foolish infatuation with him burst into flames and was reduced to smoking ruins.

She turned and dashed out of the lab, tears blinding her vision and the sound of the gong and the chant from her earlier meditation session running over in her mind:

“I am beautiful, I am bountiful, I am blissful, I am enough…. “

Right now she did not believe this at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Mel's suspicions are founded and the truth is out. Unfortunately shit happens.  
> She is upset but things being what they are she will soon understand and get over it.  
> The next instalment shows the scene changing again as the crew meet Mythos's elusive twin....


	16. A New Machine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Papillon comes across a lone drifting craft in the wilderness and going to its assistance picks up an intriguing passenger who is known to Mel.

Several weeks after her brief liaison with Data had spectacularly imploded, Mel was back to her usual routine as if nothing had happened. 

Admittedly the first few days had been an embarrassing ordeal for her. It was especially uncomfortable as at first only Ora had been privy to the fact but suddenly everyone knew and Mel felt they looked at her with a mix of dubious compassion and mild curiosity. That however could have simply been down to her paranoic nature.

However as time went on the dust gradually settled, and if Mel felt any distress from the fallout she kept it well hidden. She went about her business efficiently during her worktime and although she spoke with Data on a professional level she maintained a civil distance from him at all times.

Outside of this she had hastily abandoned meditation and was back to drenching her sorrows in jazz and blues along with weird literary works which fell under the category of ‘Steampunk’ (she was currently on the third instalment of the Gormenghast trilogy). It filled the void more than adequately.

Following the crew's brief sejourn on FreeCloud, their continuing voyage through the quadrant had reverted to ink black nothingness. Mel would carefully scan over the expanse for any sign of even the smallest solar system but all she saw was black, black, black. Until one day she jumped up from her console and shouted to Rigby to check out her findings – there was a small listing craft drifting in their path. Another shipwreck it seemed. Just to make sure, Rigby and Data surveyed the tiny ship now clear on their sensors. “I deduce it is about the same size as a Romulan snake head.” Data stated in his usual tone, “It appears non-functioning.”

It also registered one life form aboard.

Calloway at the helm put out a hail: “This is the Papillon. Please state your situation? It appears your systems are offline?”

A beat passed and collective breaths were held. Then there was a response. The occupant of the craft responded in a muffled audio format. The excitement on the bridge console was tense to say the least.

“Hello Papillon. Affirmative. I am in distress - my craft has malfunctioned, may I request docking permission to enable my schematics to be checked out please?”

The voice of the solitary pilot was impeccably polite and chillingly familiar to Mel. She was intrigued and terrified simultaneously. 

“Can you specify your exact requirements?” Calloway requested.

“I need to get my power conduits and engines back online if that is possible. Can you assist me please?”

“Affirmative. I will put out a beam to guide in your craft. Stand by. Papillon out.”

Calloway, who by now had dropped to impulse speed, slowed the ship right down and activated the traction beam. It intercepted the small ship, reining it in to the Papillon’s underside. 

“We have you,” Calloway confirmed.

“Thank you, "The pilot responded, "May have permission to board?”

“Affirmative, stand by…” and Calloway activated the transporter. 

He left the helm and disappeared to the cargo bay to greet the arrival while everyone else remained on the bridge, anticipating who or what needed their help. 

When Calloway returned with their unexpected guest. Mel's eyes widened and she put her hand over her mouth. Her heart felt as if it had stopped dead. 

It was a caricature of Mythos. No, impossible! How? Was this some elaborate trickery of Soong's doing? 

Then she remembered and realised, the elusive twin. 

"I am Leki." he announced nervously, acknowledging Calloway's hospitality with a nod.

“You are the twin of Mythos Asha?” Inquired Mel. 

“Yes.” He nodded stiffly. In all honesty he wasn't like his brother, Mel decided with a shade of relief.

" An android? But you registered with life signs when we scanned your ship?" Calloway quizzed. 

"All of the neo Soong androids myself included give off such signals." Data confirmed in a clipped tone, glancing up from the main computer. 

"Ah, yes I understand." Calloway replied, suitably chastised. 

Mel meanwhile was busily absorbed in studying their new guest. While Mythos had been the model clean-cut Starfleet officer, Leki was decidedly feral looking - unkept and grimy. His skin looked even paler than Mythos’s if that was possible, his physique was cocooned under layers of coarse clothing and his facial features were shrouded under a sizable head covering. Something about him looked damaged. Mel wondered idly if he was bald under that humongous hat. 

The layers of clothes he wore were formed of scuffed tan hide – a long coat, fur lined vest, thick sweater, buckskin trousers like the old tribesmen on Gaiia. Very heavy-duty boots. She wondered what line this individual had operated within. She also briefly noted that his left hand was missing, he had cleverly hidden the leather covered stump, tricked out as a glove, in the pocket of his coat.

His rough appearance had vague echoes of Lee Scorseby, the aeronaut from Philip Pullman's ‘His Dark Materials’. Right down to the tiny minimalist craft he travelled in, though it was quickly apparent that his temperament did not match that image. Conversely given his grubby disposition she couldn't imagine him ever being well-groomed and wearing a uniform or a suit like Mythos either. 

In addition, whilst Mythos had been confident, accomplished and articulate, Leki was reticent and diffident - almost shy. He presented himself in such a humble apologetic manner.

“Where are you from?” Calloway inquired brusquely.

“Perlina II in the Vaht sector.” Came the response.

“How can we assist you?”

“As I explained I just need some engine issues straightened out, and some repairs to myself. Can any of you do this?”

Calloway nodded. “Yes Mister…Leki. Of course. My crew mates Elim Rigby and Data Soong will certainly be able to help with your requirements. How long do you need?”

Mel noticed a slight flinch in his demeanour at the mention of Data’s name but then he quickly recovered his composure.

“I have no agenda as such, not now,” He replied with a bemused frown. Whatever he HAD been doing prior to the ship failure he was clearly in no hurry to resume it.

Mel suddenly interjected, “Where were you headed for Leki?”

He looked at her with a nervous expression, it was eerie seeing a distorted mirror image of Mythos in this disenfranchised being.

“I was on a course to meet with someone in the AI fellowship,” he replied at length, "But it was simply a personal errand for Altan Soong."

“Isn’t it hazardous to be doing that alone, seeing as you are a synthetic lifeform?” Mel queried in a sardonic tone.

He turned to Mel with large indigo eyes, “You are here with one of my kind so I could ask you the same question.” It was a fair comment, and he was unaware of B4's presence of course.

She noticed how Leki’s gaze seemed to linger on her almost fondly, as if he was already familiar with her and trusted her. Almost as if…

‘No.’ She banished the unsavoury thought from her mind. And yet….if she squinted hard enough he DID resemble Mythos save from the obvious damage. She wondered how far it extended and what exactly HAD happened.

Her crewmate snapped her out of her lurid reverie. “Sadly we don’t have any vacant furnished quarters but you can utilise one of the empty rooms next to Mr Data’s lab,” offered Calloway.

“I don’t require a place to sleep,” Leki advised softly. “The cargo bay will be fine.”

“As you wish, but nevertheless I will show you where it is best for you to set down.” Calloway added, and gestured to the android to follow him.

“Hmm, how ironic,” mused Mel once they were out of earshot, thinking of her Grimwold’s outburst a while back.

Data then spoke guardedly to his crewmates, “I can see that Leki might have had misplaced ambitions like my brother Lore. If his wish was to join the AI fellowship, then it is grave - their ethos is to wipe out all organic life in the Galaxy.”

“Freeking fireballs!” Rigby exclaimed. “That’s a seriously big deal.” 

“Hang on Rigby, Data - we don’t have any proof of that. Perhaps he does not even know any of this,” Mel offered, “He seems so naïve and guileless. I think he's telling the truth - Altan put him up to finding someone but from the appearance of him it has gone horribly wrong. Did you notice he only has one hand?”

“No, I did not - your observance is impeccable Melissa.” Data replied shortly.

Mel gave an ornery smirk at the compliment, especially coming from HIM.

Data continued: “I should tell you I have it on authority that the Federation synth ban has led to a declaration of war between a number of factions including the Zhat Vash, which has links to the Romulan secret service.”

“SHIT!" belted Rigby, “This is sounding worse by the second….”

“I fully understand your concerns Elim Rigby. Though I am confident we will not be detected out here as most of the aggressive action is taking place on the fringes of the Alpha Quadrant.”

“Well I hope you’re right,” answered Rigby, “And this Leki? What DO you think his true intensions are?”

“From initial observations as Melissa has said, it does seem unlikely Leki could be one of those spearheading the aggression.” Data replied laconically. “He might have been innocently coerced into involvement using the pretext about a hyper-advanced cyberneticist who can fix him and his brother. His name is Milan Milosovic and he goes under an alias. Though of course we will have to keep an open mind about this.”

“Hey wait!” Mel cried, “I remember reading something on the PADD Mythos gave me about such a guy who might be the key to restoring Mythos’s positronic brain?”

Data gave a curt nod, “That might be the case but it is something we will need to establish from our guest in due course.”

“Mr Data, where have you obtained this intelligence exactly?” Rigby probed with a decidedly wary expression.

“From covert communications with Commander LaForge on the Starship Enterprise,” he answered stiffly. 

Rigby gaped. “That is putting yourself at risk of discovery by the Federation Mr Data.”

“I concede,” he answered flatly “But it is in our interest to know how the Federation is dealing with the threat. Do not worry our communication is VERY secure.”

Mel was sharply reminded of the fact she had fought hard to dismiss over the last few weeks, that Data giving Geordi LaForge possession of the quantum particle disentanglement device showed they were indeed regularly touching base covertly and were potentially lovers. The golden boys of Starfleet, QED.

Mel sighed inwardly – she should have known she never really stood a chance and all she had to her credit at the moment were the yearning stares of a janked-out parody of her deceased lover. It was cold comfort indeed….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So does Leki have any hidden agenda or is he as innocent as he says?  
> Yet again the story is about to take an unexpected turn......


	17. Welcome To The Machine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mel and the crew say hello to their new guest - but he is not what they expected.
> 
> (Since posting I have edited this chapter somewhat as I noticed there were a few pertinent omissions. I think it now has more depth and detail, together with the necessary continuity to link it to events in the first story .)

Mel had replicated some pants and a crew neck, along with some underclothes in the size she memorised from Mythos and took the neatly folded garments down to the cargo bay where Leki sat on the hard floor, one leg bent the other outstretched, his back against the bulkhead.

He had removed his headgear, and as she had guessed, his head was totally void of hair. A few jagged scars ran across his skull. She also noticed one ear was missing and there was a gap at the back of his cranial shell. Together with the missing hand he certainly was in a mess.

As Mel approached he looked towards her and smiled, but despite his disfigurements she was struck at how warm and open his expression was. She comfortably returned the smile.

“Thank you Melissa,” He said, beholding the new clothing. “You cannot believe how much I want to rid my person of these awful garments!” he gestured to the dirty apparel adorning his body. Again Mel perceived how his grotesque appearance belied his personable and pleasant demeanour.

“Do you want new boots as well?” She queried, attentively. 

“No that’s ok I will wear these for now.”

Mel picked up that he used a contraction straight away. Another characteristic which differed from Mythos.

“Well if you need any just give me your specs and I will arrange for it.” She finished, giving him a cordial smile.

“Thank you.”

“By the way before you change would you also like a sonic shower? If you don’t mind me saying you are a bit…soiled?”

“No, that’s quite ok I agree with you. Where is the shower please?”

“There is one down the corridor I don’t know why it was installed here. Part of the ship’s original design I guess…”

“Thank you again. It’s much appreciated”

“Well if that is all I will leave you to it,” she offered him a polite nod and made to leave.

“Stay…please. Just a bit longer,” He beseeched unexpectedly.

“Why?”

“I want your company. You're the first person who has been truly kind to me in a long time.”

Mel did not think she had been particularly kind, just helpful and hospitable, as she would be to anyone, but agreed to his request.  
“Very well Leki, I don’t know if you have modesty subroutines but I will look away while you change your clothes if that’s alright with you.”

“It is not an issue - I'll do it near the shower room.”

“That’s great. Let me know if you need any help,” she gestured to his missing hand.

“I can manage ok – I can see that the fastenings to the pants are uncomplicated.”

Leki took the garments from Mel and made his way to the shower booth. Mel passed the time looking out of the rectangular aperture in the bulkhead at the static area of space they had stopped in. It was pitch black as usual. Mel wondered simultaneously what might possibly lurk out there and why Leki was so keen for her to stay. She hoped he had no sinister agenda.

In a surprisingly quick time she heard Leki return, and he dropped the dirty clothes into the nearby recycling unit.  
“You can turn around now. I'm done.” He said, almost cheerfully.

Mel was pleasantly surprised. He scrubbed up well to coin a phrase and the close fitting nature of the garments revealed he had the same pleasing physique as his deceased twin. His synthetic skin looked better with the grime removed and Mel noticed for the first time how remarkably similar his facial features were to Mythos – indigo eyes, a straight well shaped nose and gently bowed lips with a slight sensual uptilt to them. It was vaguely disconcerting, but she banished it and casually opened the conversation:

“So you wanted to talk to me? Is it about Mythos?”

“Yes I am really curious as to how you know him?”

“I was his partner, lover call it what you want.” Mel replied simply.

“How did you meet? I knew he served in Starfleet but…..”

“His ship the Ibn Majid had a rendezvous on my home world, Gaiia Prime. He was in an away team and he came to my stall to buy a sculpture.”

“I see - So you’re not Human?”

Not exactly. I am half Gaiian. To cut it short, Mythos asked me on a date and we hit it off. We fell in love and I joined him on his ship.”

“What happened? Did you break up?”

“No.” She was surprised he did not seem aware of his brother’s death but then from his countenance she could see the realisation dawn on him.

“He…was killed in the line of duty, so you were with him at this time?”

Mel gave a discreet nod. Saying nothing. 

With this gesture she saw Leki's face flood with palpable grief and anguish. Mel’s instinct was to comfort him but held back. She saw tears springing up in his eyes and he spoke in a trembling voice: “I am so sorry for you and for Mythos. I was told of his death but I didn’t know he had a lover. He was the perfect brother - I looked up to him.” 

With this raw admission he sobbed quietly. The loss of his brother clearly cut him deeply. Eventually he regained composure and continued. “My brother’s death – it must have broken your heart too?”

“Yes it did.” She declared truthfully.

He noticed the latinum bracelet on her wrist. “Did he give you this?” He asked with obvious curiosity.

“Yes,” She confirmed. “I wear it all the time.”

“Do you have any other reminders of him?”

“I have a photo and his memorial holomatrix, that is all, unfortunately. Although we did love each other we were not together long.” She admitted sadly.

“I would very much like to see them - sometime.”

“You may – I will bring them the next chance I get.”

.”Can I ask something else?” He added quickly.

“Sure, fire away.”

“Can you bring me a hat please? I do prefer to keep this mess covered up.” He imparted shyly, gesturing to his ruined scalp.

Mel frowned at the scars on Leki’s head and the jagged open area of his cranium which looked as if it had been ripped out or shattered.  
“Sure, no sweat. I’ll get one replicated for you.” She smiled.  
Her burning curiosity had got the better of her and she had to ask: “What bastards did this to you?” 

“Bruce Maddox, and…the Borg” He replied flatly with a guarded look.

“What the Fuck???” Mel suddenly felt both anger and horror shoot through her.

Leki furtively recounted his story. “When I left Coppelius after Altan Soong had nurtured me in the early stages of my activation, Maddox appropriated me and took me to the Daystrom Annex. He didn’t think I was worth anything to society so he wished to experiment on me. He took away some of my programming when I refused to engage with him sexually, and then discarded me.

“I then trained in exo medicine on Perlina II and two years ago joined Beautiful Flower as an emissary and envoy. After Altan was unsuccessful in reactivating my brother, I was travelling alone to Helixus III in the far Alpha Quadrant to meet with Milan Milosevic, a cyberneticist who can apparently reverse cascade failure. However on the way I encountered a Borg sphere. I was forcibly accosted and the drones attempted to assimilate me, but I resisted them and escaped.“

“How?” Mel was incredulous.

“When they realised my synthetic nature they tried to break me but I resisted and by some miracle managed to get away, however I suffered these mutilations where they tried to attach implants and my ship was damaged in the process. I had enough power to get to this sector and then everything failed. That was when I hailed your craft for assistance.”

“That is one terrifying and crazy story,” remarked Mel, clearly impressed by his undoubted courage but sensing regret and compassion at his suffering. “Listen, I have to go now but I’ll try to come back later.”

“Thank you. I would like that.” He answered smiling.

As she made to leave he looked at her with askance, “Do you find my appearance…disturbing?” he asked nervously.

“No,” She was telling the truth despite herself. They continued to stare at each other for a few moments. Mel noted the perfect face in front of the ruined cranium – those features which were the same as Mythos.

Suddenly she was aware of something out of the corner of her eye and turned to the aperture in the bulkhead looking out over open space. The infinite blackness was gone, replaced by a wondrous cascade of colour and light from a huge cloud of gas and dust.

“It is beautiful,” appraised Leki in wonder.

“I agree.” Mel was happy to hear his simple evaluation of the spectacle, compared to how Data would assess it in his cold monotonous scientific manner – totally void of passion. 

They watched it for a few minutes then Mel took her leave. “Please come back soon.” Leki requested with a polite smile.

“I will,” she promised.

*********************************  
“So, did our broken little friend tell you what happened to them?” Calloway probed. 

Back on the bridge deck Her crewmates were eager to know what conversation had passed between her and Leki.

“Yes, and his story corroborates with what we suspected," Mel confirmed. 

"It seems he fell foul of Bruce Maddox then escaped and trained in exo medicine on Perlina II. He ran into a Borg sphere while en route to Helixus III to seek out that cyberneticist Data mentioned. The Borg appropriated him but by some miracle he managed to escape before they could assimilate him fully."

“That must’ve taken some doing,” Rigby remarked cagily.

“I can’t even begin to imagine,” Mel replied, “From what little intel I have of the Borg they are clearly a formidable and ruthless foe and once they take possession of their quarry there is very little chance of them ever escaping. Resistance apparently is futile? ”  
Given the withering looks from her crewmates, she knew her assessment was naïve, but there were more urgent issues at the moment.

“Whatever the reason for Leki’s damage and impairments, I will need to carry out a diagnostic as soon as possible,” advised Data, “Can you fetch him up here please?”

“Sure,” Mel replied, and briskly returned to the cargo bay.

**********************************************

“I did not expect to see you back so soon?” Leki stood up from his customary position on the cargo bay floor.

“Data wants to run a diagnostic on you,” Mel replied.

He nodded in compliance before posing an intrusive inquiry, “Mel, how did you come to be on this ship?”

“Two of the crew are ex Starfleet, from the same vessel Mythos served on. After he died we all wanted out. Originally we were just cruising around the Alpha Quadrant, then I went off the rails a bit”

“How so?”

“You honestly don’t want to know Leki. You might hate me.” She said, with a note of embarrassment.

“No, please go on. I can’t believe it can be that bad”

“Oh yes it can. I…. I destroyed some androids.”

Leki started back in surprise, his beautiful eyes wide, “– Oh? Who? Why?”

She tried lamely to reassure him, “Because I hated them, They were online and Mythos was dead. It wasn’t fair. They were not like you, Leki. They were labour bots and a couple of defective prototypes, they weren’t sentient or self-aware. No pain was inflicted.”

“I see.”

“Have I offended you?”

“No” he said firmly. “You were upset and not thinking straight.” 

“Anyhow I stopped and reformed myself. I found Mythos’s body in Bruce Maddox’s lab – “

“At the Daystrom Annex on Galor IV?” he interjected, now more intrigued than ever.

“Yes”

“You didn’t break in?” He inquired with a devilish lop sided smile.

“I did, and got caught to boot. Maddox and one of his moxies tried to intimidate and gaslight me but in the end they actually handed me Mythos’s body.”

Leki’s eyebrows raised in absorbed interest. “My, I can't believe you outsmarted Maddox like that,” he said sucking in his breath, Mel noticed he had fear in his voice. “So what happened then?”

“I and my crew were given the co-ordinates for Ghulian IV - your home world,” Mel continued. ”We entered the Vaht sector in this quadrant and found it, we met your co-creator Altan Soong who tried to fix Mythos but was unsuccessful. Then the synth ban was enforced.

“Altan asked if I and my crew could take B4 and Data - who had been resurrected and was calling himself A’kran for some reason - with us and get out of the danger zone, here, in the far reaches of the Beta quadrant. I can’t say it is the most exciting area of space, but hey.....” Mel shrugged dismissively. 

"So B4 is here too?"Leki asked with a note of curiosity. "I remember Altan trying to improve his functionality - he was having a difficult time doing it but I guess he succeeded in the end. How is he?"

"Fine apart from a few eccentricities. He is with my friend Ora. They are....lovers," Mel revealed with a sly smile. 

“That is great to hear. B4 might be an oddity but he is a good guy. And yours is quite some story too,” Leki appraised with a slight smile. "You have gone so far out of your comfort zone, from your home planet to a Starship and now cruising the edge of space. It's remarkable."

“There’s more,” she added in a soft shy tone, and Leki’s face filled with eager anticipation.  


“Carry on…” he urged. 

“Er, well.....I developed a bit of a crush on Data. We ended up having a brief fling but he dropped me after a few days. I suspected he might not have feelings for me as things become quite strained between us - then he got mad at me and said we were done. Apparently he carries a torch for Geordi LaForge.”

“I have heard of Geordi,” Leki nodded, “He is one of the fleet’s finest by all accounts and has a lot of history with Data, so that would be typical. All the same I think Data's behaviour towards you was unacceptable. Has it affected you?"

Mel shook her head dismissively. “No, I made a mistake and it's all past history. Anyway we better go up deck as Data is waiting.”

And she gave his remaining hand a brief squeeze before accompanying him to the bridge.

****************************

Data led the damaged android to his lab and instructed him to sit in the specialist chair he had ready for him. He then opened the unscathed side of his cranial shell and attached an isolinear cable to the port located on his positronic brain.

“Melissa tells me you were captured by the Borg and then managed to escape?”

Leki nodded, ”That is correct Data, though I don’t wish to elaborate on the incident if that is okay with you.”

“That is quite alright, but I just need to check that there has been no infiltration into your systems,” Data explained, and he sat down himself and focussed on a console screen as rows of figures and text along with various graphics danced quickly across it.

“I notice you use contractions?” He observed in a cursory manner.

“Yes, I always have but my brother never did.”

“Curious.” Data mused with raised eyebrows, before returning to the task at hand.

He was silent for a long time, evidently absorbed in concentration until he hummed in approval and finally declared, ”Well Mr Asha I can see nothing untoward, so it looks as if your systems escaped intact.” 

Data disconnected the cable then scrutinised Leki’s body scans which also appeared satisfactory. “It seems the impairment is cosmetic though I concede inconvenient,” he concluded in a detached tone.  
“I can carry out the essential repairs now and will administer the more complex ones at a later time, he added. “However I cannot construct something as complex as a new hand with the limited resources I have here at my disposal” he warned. “This is something that would require detailed and intensive work in a proper cybernetics lab. I can however make a detachable prosthetic aid to enable you to grip objects or provide support to the function of your right hand. ”

“I understand and that will be acceptable,” Leki responded sombrely. “What about my sexuality programming? Maddox deleted it out of spite when I would not succumb to his advances.”

“Was this the software or the mechanical function?"

“Both” Leki admitted.

“I see." Data perused through the information he had fed into the computer earlier. His brow furrowed slightly as he studied Leki's operational specifics and made mental notes. Once satisfied he turned to address Leki in a level but slightly arch tone. 

"I can see the issue is more complicated than I thought." He divulged. "The area governing sexual response which you and obviously myself possess is very different from those Noonian Soong embedded into my first body. That was a straightforward mechanism activated by a prompt, similar to a computer software menu. This however is much more sophisticated. It is triggered by a sympathetic reaction via a cortal line from your Positronic matrix down to your pelvic region. If you prefer it is involuntary and instinctive, similar to an organic being."

"I suppose 'biotronic' would be the best way to describe it," Data added with a wry smile. 

Leki gazed at him in askance, and an expression loaded with apprehension. 

Sensing his concerns Data reassured him, "The positive news is that I studied this aspect of our functionality on Coppelius, therefore I should be able to restore your capabilities. However I do stress it might take a while to locate the damage Maddox inflicted and reconfigure everything to working order. As for the physical aspect, let me take a look at your micro hydraulics network.”

Data took a tiny delicate laser scalpel and opened the panel in Leki’s pelvic area, examining it minutely.  
“Ah, I can see that Maddox fitted a blanking conductor in the micro hydraulic line to your pelvic assembly,” he deduced, “It is a permanent obstruction and has occluded the line, making it redundant.”

“Does this mean I can never have a sexual relationship?” Leki ventured anxiously.

“No,” Data gave a reassuring smile. “It should not be too hard to repair. It will require a more invasive procedure as it is not easy to access, but even if the blockage is hard fixed I can always replace the line.”

“Thank you,” Leki answered with relief. “Am I free to go now?”

“Yes.”

***********************************************

“So how did it go?” Mel inquired when she encountered Leki on his way back to the cargo bay.

“Fine,” Leki nodded coolly. “Data has confirmed there is nothing sinister or buggy in my programming and he has repaired the open part of my cranial shell. He also said he can do the other cosmetic repairs.”

“What about your hand?”

“That sadly cannot be replaced just now. Data said he would need more components and tools than he has at his disposal and a more sophisticated lab in order to construct a new one,” he said solidly.

Nothing was mentioned about the sexuality programming. He was omiss in giving the details to Mel originally and felt it was of no significance at this time.

“What do you think of Data?” Mel asked casually, curious as to his opinion.

“He is alright. A bit stuffy and superior but I see no evil as such. Data just happened to be the right creation at the right time.” Leki answered, giving away no admission that he was more familiar with the other android than he was letting on.

“I think he just wants to fit in with high achieving Humans and match their ideals. He's played at their game and been rewarded for it. He's a decorated officer. A celebrity. On the Enterprise he lived in a gilded cage.”

“Correction – Lt Commander Data was all of that.” Added Mel. “The resurrected person on this ship is plain Data Soong, a civilian. Starfleet doesn’t even know he exists except for LaForge. "

“Ah, but from what I gather he is now buoyed by the substantial wealth of Noonian, his creator. Even Data's neural net contains some of his memory engrams.” Leki added.

“Really? Spoilt little rich boy then? Now that explains why he is a bit of an asshole,” Mel laughed.

She had to admit she was enjoying Leki’s company, despite his odd appearance, and it felt good that in him she appeared to have an ally and someone who did care. Subconsciously he was also helping her overcome her fear of androids, something the perfect nonpareil Data with his myriad accomplishments had failed to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well if everyone in the place has not warmed to Leki after this then their hearts are probably frozen solid :-p  
> It proves that sometimes having a good heart is enough and they don't need a full head of hair or a fully functional dick to evoke warmth and excitment in a gal. Besides, I think there is quite enough bald ugly villain tropes in the fandom!


	18. Candy and A Currant Bun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of reveals about Leki's past life and a huge dose of fluffy romantic stuff.

“So what is happening with your ship Mr Leki?” Inquired Calloway. “We can’t carry on crawling along at impulse speed in this abyss for ever.”

“I understand,” the android now partially repaired and wearing a brown knitted hat to cover his deficiencies nodded his head in agreement with the skipper.

His original intention had been to get the repairs done and be on his way, but now something in his midst was urging him to rethink this agenda.  
Since he had been interacting with Mel he had to admit he was fond of her, and although she hadn’t exactly said so, it seemed she felt the same way.  
Leki put it down to their shared traumatic experiences which had engendered a kindred spirit and they had connected because of it.

“If it isn’t too much trouble is it possible I could bring the craft aboard?” He asked. It would be a problem solved and buy him some time to get further acquainted with Mel.

“I don’t see why not,” agreed Calloway. “Your craft is about the size of a runabout. We do have a small shuttle bay and there is room for two craft so it will fit. If you want to stay here we can bring her in.”

“Yes, that would be acceptable. Thank you Mr Calloway.”

And with that the two of them arranged for the tiny ship to be towed aboard through the sesame doors at the rear underside of the Papillon.

Mel meanwhile was trying to solve a dilemma of her own She had been feeling decidedly weird in the past two weeks. She had noticed an odd fluttering sensation in her gut, akin to dropping suddenly from a height. She had also suffered a few bouts of nausea but nothing that peppermint tea couldn’t resolve. She put it down to space sickness and life carried on.

She found her friendship with Leki agreeable and that was precisely what it was – a friendship. Unlike Data who was cerebral and pompous, she was able to discuss her interests and hobbies freely and without prejudice with Leki. She showed him her carvings and he expressed an admiration for the Terran sculptors Barbara Hepworth and Henry Wood.  
Mel found that he also liked painting and drawing, so she gave him one of her old fashioned paper sketchbooks to scribble away on while he was in the cargo bay. 

Sat together on the floor one day she also asked him about music, “So," she posed, "Are you into the stuffy classical stuff like Data or do you prefer things like the Great American Songbook? Jazz? Nineties dance?” She was laughing.

"I honestly don’t know much about Terran music,” he admitted mirroring her laughter. 

Accordingly Mel played some of her collection to him and to her delight found they did share affections for many similar tastes.

“What about books?” She quizzed. “I like steampunk and dystopian novels – Russell Hoban, Philip Pullman, Mervyn Peake, Orwell, Margaret Attwood….I’m not a fan of crime novels - Agatha Christie I suppose, but Data’s a huge admirer of Conan Doyle. He even used to do some sort of cosplay with Geordi on the Enterprise.” 

“Now that I do know,” smiled Leki, “Not my taste - Sherlock Holmes sucks!”

Mel laughed, expressing surprise at his cheeky evaluation and impertinent views, then she became serious.  
“So tell me - how do you know so much about Data?”

“I suppose I should start at the very beginning, before I was created,” he said.

“Altan Soong was based on Terlina III for a time. It is rumoured that he had created a golum before he was fatally attacked by Data’s brother Lore and downloaded his synaptic scan into it. If this is true then Altan IS Noonian Soong. The famous cyberneticist who created Data.

"Although he spent some time on Earth with Maddox, in truth Altan preferred to work alone. The pair relocated to the fourth planet in the Ghulian system. Our home world, Coppelius. Altan then transferred everything from the lab on Terlina III. 

“Bruce and Altan worked together to make their experiment work. Their first examples were gold skinned yellow eyed androids which looked a lot like the first Data. Then they perfected it to produce Human like creations which even gave off bio signals. Mythos and myself were the first successful proof in principle examples of this method. 

“Right from the start however Mythos was the favourite. He possessed all the attributes needed for a Starfleet officer so Maddox ensured he was enrolled in the academy on a fast track basis. He was then assigned to a ship as a Lieutenant. The top brass knew there was no point in keeping him as an ensign for years when he already had the prerequisite abilities.

“I had an altogether different temperament so did not have the exigencies needed for Starfleet. Neither was I as Altan realised as focussed and intense enough to be a Cyberneticist. However he still nurtured me to realise my potential. He knew I might make it in the medical world or some humanistic pursuit but he was wrapped up in his work. As he had the matrix from B4 his main focus was to resurrect Data. 

“Of course it was done using the same experimental process, which produces identical Positronic brains, however they destroyed the twin then Soong had Noonian's engrams transferred to the Data body along with the matrix from B4.” 

"Fascinating," said Mel. “To be honest with you Leki I found it weird that Data denied being created from this method and used an alias. Anyhow carry on this is your story.”

“At this time I was more or less forgotten so I ended up in Maddox’s charge for a few months. He took me to his secret lab on Galor IV. When I could not meet his expectations he would assault me. Sometimes it was with an electric rod like a riding crop, sometimes he even tried to sexually abuse me. When I shunned him he punished me by deleting some of my programming. 

“Such as?” Mel was concerned, as she knew how sadistic Maddox could be.

“My…Sexuality subroutines. Data is trying to reinstate them but it is taking a while.”

“I see. “Mel tried to remain neutral but inside she felt as if a lead weight had been dropped on her. Well at least he would not make overtures on her or try it on.

“Does it bother you?” Leki asked uneasily.

“No not at all. “And to her astonishment she was sincere in her reply.

Leki concluded his tale:  
“Altan never knew what went on but I was glad when he and Maddox parted company – allegedly they disagreed over production of the drone robots. However since the ban I believe they are back together. They want to further their research and take the Fractal Neuronic Cloning to a new level - they want to create a flesh and bone organic android."

" Impossible."

" Improbable maybe but not impossible " He smiled playfully, then changed the subject.

“May I kiss you?” He suddenly asked directly but politely.

Mel hesitated then softly replied “Yes” 

He bent his head to meet her lips, his own brushing hers gently before engaging in a soft closed mouth exchange. Mel found it pleasing and moved with him in the chaste kiss.  
He then let the tip of his tongue enter her mouth.

“Oh er,” she pulled away abruptly, a slight flush on her cheeks. “Not yet,” she said softly, “let’s take things slowly…”

“I respect your wish” he replied with a bashful smile.

It was getting to her and she knew it. Their status as friends was unwittingly and inescapably crossing the boundary into that ‘other’ territory.

“You taste of cinnamon,” She noted astutely. “Mythos tasted of cherries – it seems your creators intentionally made you taste sweet for some reason.”

“Aa’drian McKenzie,” he smiled. “It was her idea.”

She caressed his face, enjoying the feel of his silky soft skin. The pupils of his dark blue eyes dilated, his mouth assumed a configuration of wonder.  
Mel removed his hat and reached up to his scalp, running her finger gently over his scars, and sighed with empathy. 

“Do you know what I would really like to do now Leki? I want to dance…”

“Okay –“

“But there is no room in this poxy cargo bay.”

“Then we can go to one of the unused areas in the rear of the ship that Rigby mentioned. There is one with a nice smooth floor I believe.” Leki suggested.

Mel sniggered “– by Data’s lab?”

“Yes”

A mischievous thought crept into her head, “Okay.” She agreed. “To really get into the spirit shall we go and change into something more appropriate?"

“Yes why not.”

When they met up half hour later Mel could not believe her eyes. Leki was wearing evening clothes. “Oh my…” she sighed helplessly. She was going to have to reappraise her earlier assumption that he wouldn't look good in a suit because he definitely did.

“It’s amazing what that replicator can do,” he said with a wicked smirk. “By the way you look great too,” he appraised admiring her full skirted yellow dress.

‘Just for you dear Leki,’ she thought to herself with a glow emitting from her core. She gripped her personal PADD containing her music library.

They linked arms and made their way to the large empty room. When they passed Data’s lab the door was open as usual and Mel deliberately tossed her head defiantly. She hoped he saw it. She would prove someone didn’t need hair or sexual programming to be lovable.

“How much knowledge of dance moves do you have in that neural net of yours Leki?” she asked.

“Enough, why?”

“Can you access any 20th century Terran dances such as the jitterbug and the lindy hop?”

“I can try,” he replied with a slight smile. He was mindful of his lack of a left hand.

“Okay then, let’s go.”

Mel tapped into her portable computer console and selected Count Basie’s ‘Roll Em Pete’

“Lead me,” she begged.

And he did, perfectly, in spite of his disability. 

Taking her hand in his right one he confidently executed the steps to the energetic dance, knowing when to draw her close and when to swing out, moving in perfect unison with her, almost instinctively. 

As the final notes rang out Mel broke free and slid on her knees to spin in three perfect circles before stopping in an elegant pose. She was exhilarated, it had been so long since she had danced. As she panted with exertion, her cheeks flushed, Leki helped her to her feet.

She looked at him, noting his attempt to adjust his clothes and could see having one hand made the task difficult for him.  
“You need help. Here - She approached and tidied his appearance in the most detached way she could despite the close contact.  
He took it as a signal all the same and drew her to him. She did not fight it.

“You know, you’re the first partner I have had who doesn’t have two left feet.” Mel remarked brightly.

“Sorry?”

“Oh never mind.”

Almost instinctively she leaned into him and his lips sought out hers. He kissed her deeply and skilfully. This time she did not stop, and responded in kind as his tongue plunged into her mouth. The action intensified and she felt a surge of pleasure and a sensation akin to an explosion of intense coloured lights in her brain. It was incredible. Any doubts she might previously held about interacting with him were banished.

“Can we dance to something slow? Romantic?” He suggested gently.

Mel pursed her lips, “O-kay…” She buried in thought for a moment and then raised her finger excitedly “Ah I have it.” She tapped in the request, and lush music infused with simple beautiful lyrics filled the air:

‘The very thought of you  
And I forget to do  
The little ordinary things that everyone ought to do  
I’m living in a kind of daydream  
I’m happy as a king  
And foolish though it may seem  
To me that’s everything…’

They moved close together, he again leading her. She could feel his defined pecs beneath his shirt. He felt like Mythos and yet she was glad he was not a carbon copy. She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling calm, blissful and wanted. 

They kissed again, her hands slid down his sides to his waistline, but there was no aggressive animal lust like she had experienced with Data, this was innocent and sweet, like the cinnamon taste of his saliva. Leki kissed her once more and she slipped effortlessly into that warm and fuzzy mode where she felt protected and safe. She did not want this to ever end.

“I should tell you that Data will be fixing me tomorrow.” Leki told Mel triumphantly as they made their way back to the rest area for a drink. “My hair and my ear will be restored, the scars removed and hopefully my sexuality subroutines will be reset…”

Mel said nothing, she tried to force a smile but the corners of her mouth refused to comply. 

“Mel? Is everything okay?” 

“Yes fine. I am so happy for you,” She assured him in a slightly detached voice.

In truth however she sensed a pang of disappointment at his news. If she didn’t know better she might have said out loud that she liked things the way they were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Isn't it romantic and doesn't it make you feel warm and fuzzy inside? These two both deserve to catch a break :¬ D
> 
> The Very Thought of You written by Ray Noble (1934) Carlin America Inc /Warner Chappell


	19. Embryo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mel has been feeling unwell for some time. Leki takes a temperature check on her and makes a shocking discovery.

Mel woke up at 05.00 hours, feeling like grim death. That was the best way she could describe it. Her face was pale and washed out and there were dark circles under her eyes.  
The dreadful nausea and weird sensations she had experienced over the last few weeks had got much worse. Now she was being sick almost every morning and today had been especially unpleasant.

Her intuition told her this was not just some random stomach upset from replicated food. There was something sinister going on inside her and she had to get to the root of it. She knew what she needed to do. Leki had considerable medical knowledge so she pulled on a sweater and pants and snuck down to the cargo bay.

She found him sitting cross legged on the floor, wearing his knitted hat, totally absorbed in creating some sketches. He looked up at her and smiled, “Morning Melissa,” he beamed in his usual warm and inviting manner.

Mel gestured to the sketchbook, “Can I see?”

He handed it to her and she gasped in amazement. He had produced an almost perfect impression of the Papillon and …a head and shoulders portrait of herself.. “Oh my they are so good - no one has ever drawn me before” She had to admit she was flattered and pleased.

“I have your image in my head all the time,” he grinned. “It is a pleasure to convey your vibrancy, your inner beauty and warmth on paper."

“You have such a lovely way with words. Thank you, I love it.” She kissed him softly on the cheek. She was aware how swiftly they had become close, almost subconsciously and seemingly out of her control. A slight wave of disquiet ran through her but she pushed it back abruptly. She needed to prepare for the task in hand.

“Leki, she faltered, “Can I ask you a favour?”

“Yes what can I do for you?”

Dammit he was so nice!

“I haven't been feeling well lately. Are you able to run some checks on me?"

“Sure, just hold on a minute.”

Leki reached for his medkit. “Shall we go to your quarters to do this?” He suggested. “It would be more comfortable.”

“Yes that would be a good idea.” Mel agreed. 

They both got to their feet and walked up to Mel’s small cabin on the next deck. No one was about which was convenient so they were able to sneak in without any observers.  
Once inside Leki took out a medical tricorder from his kit, instructing Mel to lie down, then proceeded to carry out a full body scan.

As he ran it over her abdomen it gave a small sharp bleep and he frowned.

“What is it Leki?”

A beat passed. His expression remained unreadable, then he sighed nervously.  
“I don’t know how to say this to you Mel but…you’re pregnant.”

“WHAT???!!!”

Her heart lurched violently and it suddenly felt as if he was talking to someone else.

“But how? It is impossible. The doctors on Gaiia told me I was infertile…” she blathered incoherently.

Leki’s frown deepened. “Then there is a very big question. Is Data the only one you have had sex with?”

“Yes. Since Mythos.”

Leki was at a loss to understand or elucidate something that should by all accounts be medically impossible. He went very quiet, and Mel’s heart thumped, increasing her agitation. 

Finally he spoke in a grave tone: “It can only mean one thing. Altan Soong must have installed some kind of fertility aspect in Data's sexual functions.“

“How can that be? Data is an android.”

“I know it sounds far-fetched but I do recall Altan and Maddox suggesting the possibility of creating synthetic hormones to combine with organic sperm and even – “

“Nanites? Mel finished for him, “Similar to the Borg?”

“That is also feasible”

A multitude of lurid visions began to unfold uninvited into her head – just the very thought that she had been violated and something evil and sinister had been planted inside her made her want to throw up again. Her revulsion was doubled by the thought that Maddox could be a prime mover in the process.

“Stars….I am stunned .” Mel said weakly, “It isn’t so much that Data is somehow fertile. When I had my surgery and medication a few years ago I was told that it ablated ovulation and I would never get pregnant.” Mel reluctantly confessed as she was not at all comfortable revealing to Leki that she was rendered sterile at a relatively early age.

“Then something has clearly overridden that state” Leki said seriously.

“But it all seems so …impossible” Mel could not shake that bizarre sensation that her life had been shattered and it was someone else going through this not her.

“Improbable but not impossible” replied Leki plainly.

“You must hate me.” Mel said ruefully as tears sprung behind her eyes.

“Why do you think that? You had sex with Data before you met me. He showed no concern for you and as far as you knew you could not get pregnant.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it reassuringly, which made her feel slightly better.

“Whatever I think Data has a lot of explaining to do.” Mel declared in an irate tone, the shock now turning quickly to anger. How could Data do this to her? The impression of him in her head as a highly intelligent, sophisticated and cultured individual was quickly disintegrating into the image of a selfish, immoral and cruel one. 

“Should we tell him?” Leki cogitated. “It could make things worse." 

“Then Is there another solution? Could we…you know.”

Mel’s immediate instinct was to rid herself of this unknown entity growing inside her. She was feeling disgust and utter revulsion that the man that had done this had discarded her weeks ago and had to all extent and purpose moved on and forgotten her.

Leki sat on Mel’s bed and leaned back on his remaining hand. “That would be a massive emotional undertaking” he said somberly. “Then again if you go ahead with the pregnancy you risk not only having the Federation and their Black Flag Directives on your tail, you will also be inextricably linked to a man who doesn’t love you and to whom you are no more than a guinea pig.”

Mel nodded, fully aware of these implications.

“Also if Data ever gets back with Geordi LaForge they could throw a paternity suit at you to gain custody and without sounding pessimistic, you won’t win.” Leki warned.

“Then we have to do something now before he finds out,” said Mel.

“I would wait a few days, to get your thoughts together first.” Leki advised wisely. “You need to ensure whatever you decide to do is the right decision for YOU, not what duty compels you to do.”

Mel nodded silently again, the tears now running down her face.

“Leki – “ she took his arm. “Does this change how you feel about me?”

“No it doesn’t.” He assured firmly. “As I said earlier this all happened before I arrived here and in all faith you probably thought he was going to start a relationship with you.”

Mel gulped and nodded “Yes that is true but all the same I am so sorry things have panned out like this."  
She suddenly hit on an idea, "Go get your stuff from the cargo bay Leki, you can stay with me. I don't give a shit what the others think. I really need the support and your company right now.”  
She felt it was acceptable since there was no danger of him trying it on. “I have a sofa bed which pulls out – you can use it to run your sleep program.”

He was a little bemused at her hasty decision but agreed. “Okay thank you.” 

They embraced, and Mel was comforted by his arms around her.

When they moved apart she ran her hand over his chest and Leki stared at the delicate expensive bracelet on Mel's wrist. "It has been with me through a lot, she informed him, addressing his curiosity. 

Leki gave a frown, "I can't give what Mythos did," He told her plainly.

"You do not need to – you are not him, you are a unique and special person in your own right." Mel assured with a smile.

"Okay but what about....you know, " he looked down at himself in a shy and self conscious manner. “I know Data is fixing some stuff for me but I still worry it might not work.”

"Listen Leki, whatever the outcome it doesn't matter. I have had more than my fair share of sex in the past and as I have now found out it can open a whole world of pain. I can live without it. Besides there are other ways to pleasure me without a full head of hair or a cock." 

“Such as?”

“Cake.” Mel sighed luxuriantly, stretching her arms upwards. “ The more gooey and indulgent the better.”

He gave a slight amused smile, “I don't think the food replicator can run to such decadence unfortunately.”

Mel turned to him with a pouty expression “Aw pity. Well then, I hope that thing make brioche toast - I could do with something soft, rich and fluffy and a strong mug of raktajino.”

Leki winced at the mention of Klingon coffee but was happy to comply with her request for sustenance. “Let’s go get something before the others take over the mess hall.” he grinned. Mel had forgotten it was still quite early in the morning.

They walked out to the mess hall and Mel ordered her breakfast from the replicator. It was just as she wanted it and she just hoped she could keep it down.As she ate she noticed Leki’s concerned expression.

“What?”

“You are not just interested in me because I am Mythos's brother or because you are on the rebound from Mr Pompous - Data? " he asked in trepidation. 

Mel smiled reassuringly, "Absolutely not. You are smart, kind, sweet and as I said earlier YOU are your own person. What makes you think that?”

He looked at her with a searching expression, Mel thought it made him look cute and vulnerable. 

“I feel…inadequate.” He admitted warily.

"Leki, you are a wonderful friend and that is enough for me."

And with that she took his face in her hands and kissed him gently on the forehead, trying to banish, at least for a short time, the colossal dilemma she was about to face.

****************************************

Later that day Leki met with Data in his lab. He noticed that instead of his rather eccentric style of clothes he had now begun to wear overalls like the rest of the crew

Data ensconced himself on a battered stool and invited Leki to join him, gesturing to a surgical style chair. The younger android positioned himself and looked at Data expectantly. 

"First things first, I have made the prosthetic to assist you with your missing left hand," Data informed him, "You just need to attach it when you are performing tasks which normally require two hands."

Leki gave a small smile and a non-verbal nod of thanks as he took the device, while continuing to look at Data in askance.

As if reading his thoughts he gave Leki the response he was seeking. “As for your sexuality programming, given its complexity it was a little more difficult than I anticipated to re-write and patch into the copy of your neural net. However after several attempts I have been successful in producing a compatible version.”

Leki was relieved and nodded in acknowledgement. Even if Mel had no desire to engage with him at this time at least it gave him the option if things changed.

Data opened Leki’s cranial panel, connecting an isolinear cable to the port located on the side of his positronic brain, then linked it to a console where a screen flashed up scrolling a set of schematics. The procedure took only a few minutes. Data gave a satisfied smile and disconnected the cable. ”That is the software installed, I will now begin work on your pelvic mechanism.”

As Data had previously advised, this was a delicate and lengthy procedure, involving the replacement of the blocked micro hydraulic line and then joining the network to the cortal line feeding into the positronic matrix. Leki was relieved when Data advised it was completed successfully, and he uttered a silent curse to Bruce Maddox.

Finally came the facial reconstructs.  
“I have successfully replicated your right ear using the specifics I took from your remaining auricle,” Data confirmed. “However as I have no example of your hair to reference from I had to improvise your new cranial covering by using one of my own hair filaments. However I can modify the tone to match your original one if you so wish.”

“Yes I would like that.”

“What colour did you say your hair was?”

“Chestnut brown,” answered Leki, slightly bemused by the incongruity of the exchange.

While Data removed the old bare bioplast covering from Leki’s cranial shell, he took the opportunity to make conversation with his interlocutor. 

“I can see that you are developing a bond with Melissa Rondor,” he noted in a somewhat desultory tone.

“Yes, what of it?” Leki asked suspiciously, wondering why it was of importance to Data.

“I would advise you to proceed with caution.” Data counselled. “Melissa can be tricky to handle, her attitude vulgar and abrasive at best, destructive and violent at worst – she assaulted me on one occasion.”

“Oh?” Leki was taken aback slightly but figured there must have been good reason for her actions.

“She also seems to be reckless with her sexuality,” Data continued, “She jumped on me like a hungry predator with no shame or scruples whatever. It is not behaviour I would term as becoming in a female.”

'...Ha! But it takes two to tango,' Leki coined a pertinent phrase to himself and immediately flew to Mel's defense:

“Data, I respect your opinions but I have to disagree with them. Melissa has been nothing but honest, humble and compassionate with me.”

with this the dialogue predictably came to an abrupt close.

Leki swallowed down his vexation, he knew that Data carrying some of Noonian Soong’s memory engrams meant he could be judgemental and full of hubris but this character assassination of his friend angered him. However he kept his calm composure while the other android carried out his work.

“Hold still just one moment – “ Data instructed while fixing the replacement ear. “Okay that is done.”

He then moved over to his workbench to calibrate and fuse the micro bioplast and replicated hair of the new cranial covering before attaching it using a small bonding tool. Once it was in place Data led his charge to a mirror.

“Is this acceptable?” he asked Leki.

Leki scowled, staring at his reflection with a copycat Data hairstyle. “Yes but it's a bit too full and wide. Can you trim it shorter please?”

“As you wish but I warn you I am no stylist,” Data answered with little evidence of humour.

He took a pair of scissors and a razor from an array of instruments housed on a rack on the wall behind him and followed Leki’s instructions. What resulted was a much shorter ruffled style which suited Leki far better. He grinned, “Thanks, I’m most grateful.”

Data had to admit he was struck by Leki’s affable nature and candid politeness.  
“You are welcome,” He replied with a small smile.

Leki decided now was the opportune time for his opening gambit, “Forgive me for being intrusive but Mel says you are in contact with Geordi LaForge?”

Data’s tone quickly became cold and evasive, “Yes that is correct.”

“So he survived the attack on Mars?” Leki noted casually.

Data looked uncomfortable “He did, why are you asking?”

“I was just curious that’s all.” The other android answered. “It must be very hard given the current situation and restrictions.”

Data closed up like a Venus fly trap and Leki knew it was pointless to keep probing. He was going to have to save the fertility topic for another time. Sensing their discourse was at an end he made to leave.

“Thank you again, Data. Goodbye.”

Leki replaced his knitted hat and headed out of the lab. He wondered what the stars Mel had seen in this guy which had compelled her to throw herself at him. From what he had seen so far he had all the sex appeal of cold Vulcan tea….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things have taken a most unexpected turn for Mel - will she look for a solution to end the problem or face the music and go ahead with her bizarre pregnancy?


	20. Set The Controls For The Heart of The Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mel learns about Christmas, experiences some erotic dreams and overhears a heated dispute between two androids.

Ora came into the rest area for a coffee while Mel was sat with her head in her hands trying to ease away another bout of unbearable nausea. She was alone as Leki had gone to the shuttle bay with Rigby to carry out repairs on his ship and would be there for most of the day.

“Are you okay?” Ora ventured cautiously.

“Not really, Mel answered with a dismissive grimace, “It must be that space sickness again.” She was relieved when Ora seemed to buy it, given she had absolutely no desire to reveal the bizarre and ugly truth - she couldn’t get her own head around it let alone involve anyone else. 

Mel was also aware of Ora’s fascination over her furtive association with Leki and no doubt had been waiting for an opportune moment to ask her about it. Mel figured it was understandable given they had spent most of their time together down in the cargo bay.

She liked it that way – she respected Leki’s privacy as well as her own and wanted to avoid unnecessary prying and comments. However that was surely set to change now that he was sharing her cabin. Their relationship might be strictly platonic but the others were not going to know that.

“You two seem like you have been friends your whole lives,” Ora remarked intruding on Mel’s brief interlude of reflection.

“Sorry?”

“You and Leki of course.”

Mel smiled archly, “Yeah, we get on well and have a lot in common.”

“Different from Data then. I have to say that for someone who is afraid of androids you certainly have had a few close associations with them.”

Mel was about to respond with a backhanded rejoinder but was suddenly aware of B4 loitering behind her, carrying some sort of fake foliage. 

“What the stars is that?” Mel exclaimed.

“It is a Christmas tree.” Declared B4 proudly. “It is used in Terran culture at this time of the year, to celebrate the birth of a deity called Jesus Christ and in some countries a pagan festival to herald the return of the light in the northern hemisphere of Earth.”

“I see,” Mel nodded, “Interesting.”

“Yes he is very intrigued by Christmas,” Ora smiled.

They watched B4 set the tree down on a small table in the rest area and begin to decorate it with some shiny bauble decorations and coloured lights. 

“It is also a custom to exchange gifts,” B4 informed knowledgeably as he focused on his peculiar task.

“Well we can’t buy anything so we’ll have to replicate them,” laughed Ora.

Mel however felt a sudden surge of regret at this. For some odd reason she thought of her time with Mythos, but the memory swiftly vanished as quickly as it came.

When B4 finished decorating the tree, they all agreed that while Christmas was a novel way to break the endless monotony of deep space travel, the best gift the crew could have right now would be for them to discover a nice M class planet to set down on. It was certainly well overdue….

************************************

That night Mel dreamed. In her vision she saw Mythos as if he had survived the blast on the Ibn Majid. They were in some sort of quaint Terran style restaurant. Perhaps it was the holodeck? He held a box containing a ring. Its stone was jet black or maybe indigo like his eyes? She could not tell. He took it out and slipped it on Mel's ring finger. 

“Will you marry me?”

“OH YES MYTHOS!”

She felt joyous. Mythos told her he had been commended for gallantry and was going to receive a medal of honour. There would be a ceremony and she was invited as Mythos's fiancee. She felt so proud, and so happy. She reached to hug him but then his image rapidly faded as she awoke. 

A feeling of emptiness and loss flooded over her. She was desperate for a pee but as soon as she sat upright the nausea began roiling up. She took a few deep breaths then got out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom. As she relieved herself she brought to recall a line from an ancient Terran song she had heard her ne’er do well father sing to himself when she was young: ‘Dreams are nothing more than wishes and a wish is just a dream you wish to come true….’

'Yep.....Everything is a dream, an illusion.’ She sighed as she got back into bed. Her visions of Mythos were what she had secretly WANTED to happen before he was so cruelly snatched away from her. They were becoming less frequent as time went on but when they did sneak up on her she was still astonished by how vivid they were. 

It was the waking from them that hurt the most. Being plunged back into the harsh veracity of being alone and empty with no immediate hope of any change. The only thing that WAS real in her life right now was a an admittedly sweet and attentive but neutered android and this damned unwanted pregnancy. 

After a few minutes she drifted off again, but it did not even seem like five minutes before she awoke with a start to loud voices out in the mess hall. Android voices, one tenor and one of a lower baritone timbre. She recognised them at once.

“Did you know about this augment in your sexual function?” She heard Leki confront Data, he sounded annoyed.

“Yes of course. I helped to develop it.” The reply was matter of fact with no discernible feeling.

“Have you had sex with anyone before?”

“Yes, with Aa’drian McKenzie on Coppelius. I used a barrier to avert any chance of pregnancy.”

“You had sex twice with Melissa why didn’t you use a barrier then?” Leki demanded.

“Because I knew she had undergone surgery and treatment which rendered her infertile. I naturally thought it was safe,” Came the cool, measured reply.

Even from behind closed doors Mel picked up the smug tone of Data’s voice. It obviously rubbed up Leki the wrong way too as he was now growing angry.“What? Did you do it on purpose?”

“No, absolutely not. I logically believed my actions would cause no lasting issue,” Data replied calmy.

“No, you just assumed!” the impassioned response shot back, “You treated her like a cheap fuck. You jumped her bones and once sated you discarded her. Do you think that is the action of an enlightened and cultured person Data?”

Leki’s antagonist paused then continued in his smooth monotone, “I am intrigued. Where did you pick up such lowbrow expressions Mr Asha? The gutter?”

Mel heard Leki hiss through his teeth, “Mr Data, maybe you should stop being so bloody self righteous and start living in the real world, not some idealistic, elevated head-stuck-up-your-ass one!”

“I will ignore your crude remarks Mr Asha and lay it on the line. Melissa Rondor is a Gaiian half breed woman raised on the streets. From all accounts she did not have good parenting. She has never been inside a formal educational establishment. Consequently she has few principles or refinements. She has no interest in high arts, she is weak at calculous. Everything she knows is self taught or a folk talent. She is an able crewman and can pick up the rudiments of ship operations but that is probably her limit.

“As for her unbalanced psychological state, I should tell you that she has attempted suicide on one occasion. I saved her and then counselled her or tried to, but she is quite impossible.”

“And so being damaged psychologically makes her less of a person?” Leki argued, now clearly incensed with fury.

Data continued to maintain his impassive mien. Even with full emotions it astonished Mel how he could supress them with Vulcan like willpower.

“Mr Asha, you are Soong-descended android possessing a higher intellect than a Human. Melissa Rondor is no match for you. If you proceed in a serious relationship with her it will not auger well I can assure you.…” 

Data continued the negative appraisal and Mel was livid. She also wondered with burning curiosity what had triggered this heated exchange between the two androids.

“Does it matter? Simply because I contain one piddling neuron from your matrix??!!” Leki countered, “Mel is a person who has rights and feelings! She should still be treated with respect not used and abused like a whore because you feel she is beneath you or us as a species. I think you need a reboot of your systems to reset your insufferable hubris MISTER Data!”

A beat passed. It seemed Data was finally stunned into silence, affronted by the other android’s display of wit. Then he regained composure, “You are beginning to sound like my feral brother Lore, Mr Asha. You are too impulsive and passionate in your mindset." 

“Data, I’m attracted to her not her credentials. It would not matter to me where she came from. She could be a dobo girl or a waitress for all I care. Mel is smart, funny, kind, articulate and affectionate. You don’t need some fancy diploma to be loved.

“Anyway if she is pregnant what do you plan to do?” Leki seemed to have calmed down slightly and now had a worried edge to his voice.

“I shall consider the matter if and when that comes to pass.” Data finished tersely.  
So, Mel noted, obviously Leki had not told him the full facts, he was simply angling for the hypothetical picture. Whatever, it hadn’t gone well.

There was another beat before the exchange finally ceased. Mel heard the footsteps as Data walked away and then Leki entered her cabin. She quickly dived under the cover feigning sleep. She didn’t want him to know she had been eavesdropping.

Mel was aware of the sound of Leki taking off his boots and then pulling out the small sofa to lie down. She heard him shift into his customary foetal position before activating his sleep subroutines. For a while Mel gazed into the blackness of the room then dropped off to sleep once more. 

Another dream began to play out, even more intense in its detail and clarity.  
Mel was again with Mythos, they were alone together in a large airy boudoir type room, one she had never seen before in reality. She noticed they were both dressed formally, she in a midnight blue floor length evening gown (weird as she hardly ever wore a dress save for the functional shift she had used for business and study on Gaiia). He was in his dress uniform. He smiled and drew her to him gently. She could see and feel everything as though it was really happening - the sensation of her gown against her skin, the stiffness of Mythos's elaborate dress jacket under her fingers, his warmth, his silky chestnut hair with its faintly dusty scent, his parted lips, the rush of cherry as she tasted his synthetic saliva... 

Heat surged through her core as he pulled away gently to remove his jacket, before their exchange resumed, Mel's fingernails rasped over the smooth silk of his white dress shirt before she slowly unbuttoned it, while simultaneously his fingers expertly unfastened the back of her gown. It loosened and fell from her shoulders and decolletage, exposing her breasts. 

She wore nothing underneath which was also bizarre. Mythos cupped each of her breasts in his hands, fondling them gently before tracing his finger over her erect nipples. 

The android's hold on her tightened, pressing the length of his body to hers and gripped her ass, firmly but gently. 

"Mythos -" She gasped, then let out a blurred moan of concern that she would mess up his shirt. 

"Do not worry," He replied in a soothing tone "Andorian silk doesn't wrinkle... "

Accordingly he bent his head to her and intensified the kiss, his hands reaching down to the slickness between her thighs, she sighed and shuddered as his touch sent white hot shock waves right through her.

"Oh my stars I want you so much," she whimpered feverishly, bucking her hips onto his hand, aware of the pulsating arousal consuming her.  
Please, please - I want your cock now! " she implored. 

He removed his hand and deftly pulled the zipper of her gown right down to her ass, letting it finally fall to the floor in a pool of featherlight fabric. She felt Mythos hitch his pelvis upwards and his length breach and slide into her with no preamble. His thrusts were forceful and urgent yet tender. As always she saw his hair fall out of place as his own passion took over and wrecked his pristine android composure.  
She was close.... 

Then to her disappointment everything began to fade and move away from her. Mel regained consciousness in the claustrophobic blackness of the tiny cabin. Her elation evaporated like a sceptre. She was still wired and her clit throbbed painfully. "Shit" She hissed under her breath.

She crept out of bed, throwing a short robe over her sleep top and shorts, then left her room for the sonic shower. She remembered the same scenario from long ago, though now the rest area was bathed in the smudgy coloured light from the small Terran Christmas tree B4 had placed on the table.

This time her agenda was different from that awful night. Now she simply craved release from her agonising one-sided desire.

Peeling off her undergarments and turning on the controls she allowed the strange sensation to bathe her skin, it heightened her arousal and she reached down, seeking surcease from the fiendish need of her burning core.

It didn't take long, and as she rode out her release and whispered Mythos's name she was aware of a sound, a silhouetted figure in her midst. 

She snapped into reality and flipped off the shower. Standing outside was Leki, in grey two-piece sleep wear complete with his hat. Had he been watching her? If so how long? She suddenly felt violated and opened fire on him like a type 2 phaser. 

"What the fuck are you doing here!!!!" It took all her willpower to restrain herself from hitting him. 

"I was worried," he answered firmly. "I know what happened to you Mel..." 

She clocked her head to one side in an accusatory manner, "What!!??" she barked.

"Your suicide attempt." Again his voice did not waver.

'Of course - Data told him,’ Mel swiftly remembered the earlier altercation, but her voice was thick with blind rage. "I know I have this thing inside me but do you think I would be that fucking selfish and stupid??" Don't you ever pull this stunt again or I will deactivate you and shove you out of the airlock, do you understand? This is my private business!" 

"I was simply concerned for your welfare. I truly care about you as a friend and as…what I mean to say to you is I love you Melissa.”

" LOVE!!! "Mel screamed hysterically – she had probably woken everyone on the ship by now. "What do you know about love? We had a great friendship Leki but now you’ve spoilt it - you can’t be a lover to me. You are a neuter. How could it ever work?"

"I...." Mel saw Leki about to speak, a shadow of disbelief crossing his features, but she couldn’t stop the last barb of cruel venom sinking into him:  
"I was right about one thing - you ARE nothing like Mythos, you can't come close. He could satisfy me but the only way I can do that now is masturbation."

“I could have helped,” he offered.

“How? With your one hand??” Mel scoffed.

Leki decided enough was enough, “Melissa, I am disappointed and offended by your actions towards me. I have supported you and been a good friend to you throughout my stay here, I have even defended your good name when Data discredited you and dragged you through the dirt. But from your present display I can see that he might be right on one point, you are too quick to destroy people and shoot them down before they have chance to explain or answer questions..”

Mel was stunned by his cold hard tone but the hurt and betrayal was evident in his face. He turned away and made his way to the cargo bay without another word. 

For a few seconds Mel stood rooted to the spot, defiant in her blind fury. Then her rancour faded and she suddenly realised what she had done. She heard voices and bodies stirring in the other cabins, obviously awoken by the disturbance. Impulsively and in a blind panic she ran down to the cargo bay but when she reached it she found it deserted. Leki's possessions had gone and he was nowhere to be seen.

Immediately a dreadful chilling feeling went through her and she was gripped with panic.

"Leki! Leki where are you? Come out please. Listen I am so sorry. I just want to speak to you and explain, I was wrong, I was an idiot. Please, don’t do this to me…”

However her words merely echoed back to her in the hollow expanse as if in mockery. She knew it was futile. If his ship had been fixed and he had gone he would be far away already. 

Mel cursed her ferocious Gaiian temper, kicking a few empty canisters across the floor in frustration before she sunk to her knees in despair. She had driven away the one person who truly cared about her and for what? A fantasy image in a few dillusional dreams. Well it looked like there was no way to reverse the damage she had done. Not only was she stuck with an unnatural sinister pregnancy she was going to have to face the fallout of it all alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that irrational Gaiian temper has wrecked havoc again. Will she ever learn? Sometimes it seems Mel is her own worst enemy......


	21. Scream Thy Last Scream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melissa searches for Leki and comes face to face with the Beta Quadrant's most terrifying adverseries.

Mel finally picked herself up from her position on the floor of the cargo bay. 

‘No use crying you idiot,’ she thought to herself crossly. ‘Do something, find him, let him know that you love him too before it’s too late!’

She realised that in her haste to rush down here she was still wearing her sleep clothes, robe and slippers. She needed to change into something more suitable before investigating further – and act fast.

She sprinted back up to the next deck. Luckily no one was around. The others had either returned to their beds or gone to their respective ship duties. Mel sneaked unnoticed back into her cabin, stripped off her nightclothes and flung them on the bed. She did a quick freshen up and pulled on her zip-front catsuit with its reinforced panels which she had used for her android destroying ‘away missions’ way back. She thought it wise in case any unexpected situations cropped up.

Clipping on her weapons belt and pulling on her heavy duty boots, she slipped back out and spring-tailed back to cargo. There was one place she hadn’t checked and wanted to comb all areas before heading for the shuttle bay to uncover the moment of truth. 

Once back on her search she edged into the freight pad at the rear of the cargo bay, drums of plasma fuel and other essential supplies were stacked wall to ceiling height but she knew there was a chamber behind this which could be utilised as a hiding place, it also led to shuttle bay. The approach to it was difficult but Mel’s adroitness and supple physique enabled her to gain access. Once inside she sidled along a narrow short conduit leading into the small space, however…

“Oh SHIT!”

Barring her way was her worst nightmare, a Talerian hook spider. A huge one. It had woven a sticky dense web right across the entranceway, its eight half-meter long legs splayed out as if deliberately denying her passage.

‘How in the name of Satan’s trousers did that fucking thing get in here?’ She knew, the same way as the blasted mole rats. One of the crew must have picked up an egg or a spiderling inadvertently when they went down to Freecloud.

Mel reached for her weapons and realised in her haste she had forgotten her phaser. All she had was her knife. ‘Now you’re stymied Rondor – how the stars are you going to get out of this one?’ 

There was only one option and she didn’t like the thought of it one bit, but she had no choice. Taking a deep breath she took her knife and weighed up the distance between her and her nemesis. If she missed and that thing moved it could jump and trap her in a nanosecond, and she would be more or less wrapped up for lunch. It was a big ask and she needed all her wits about her to make it work.

Gripping the haft of the knife firmly she angled it precisely at her target, trying to recall the land training she had done on Gaiia Prime when she had hooked two bunny corns using this method. She poised on the balls of her feet to gain purchase, held her breath and let the knife go…..

She heard the dull ‘thuk’ as it hit its target. Jets of stringy white fluid shot out of the spider’s abdomen painting her bodysuit with offensive splashes. She swore she heard a hiss of rage and pain as the legs of the creature contorted into its body and it dropped to the ground taking torn threads of the web with it. Mel was repulsed by the spectacle but her main concern was that it was dead.

Bounding up and retrieving the knife she was relieved that this was certainly the case. She ripped the sticky web apart to gain access and ran into the chamber. Her eyes scanned round it quickly and meticulously, but her heart sunk rapidly as she realised it had not been used for months, possibly years. 

The options were narrowing down by the minute and her optimism was rapidly being chipped away. Undeterred however she made for the small hatch in the end bulkhead. She noted that it had some lettering in an unknown language inscribed on it, which could have translated as ‘Danger’ however she chose to dismiss this and wrenched it open. 

With her heart in her mouth she scrambled through and checked out the shuttle bay. Rigby’s small runabout was there and so to her relief was Leki’s tiny craft. Panels were open and the control console was still stripped out in pieces. It was obviously left as it had been when Leki and Rigby abandoned work on it the previous day.

A tine ray of hope flooded into her tired and arid soul. But if he was still on the ship where was he? Her suppositions had finally come to a dead end. He was obviously playing some elaborate game of hide and seek to spite her but then she could hardly blame him. She had been a complete bitch and it was the least she deserved.

Sighing deeply, she sat down on a crate to gather her thoughts, the bastard nausea was beginning to goad her again and she took a moment to curse Data roundly and bitterly under her breath.

What now?

She did not have time to think any further as the ship suddenly gave a sickening lurch, sending her crashing to the floor.

That was entirely unexpected. What the stars was going on?

Picking herself up she retraced her tracks back into the main cargo bay and went to the small aperture viewpoint. What she saw literally sucked the breath out of her lungs.

It was a massive dark entity, seemingly comprised of dirty grey swirling gasses. It resembled a planet but to her knowledge the ship had not entered any solar system so how was this possible? Due to her condition however she had not been at the stellar cartography console for a few days now so was out of touch.

Then inexplicably her intuition kicked in – this was a rogue planet, thrown off its trajectory and to all intents and purposes was floating through the vast chasm of deep space under its own capacity. Mel remembered Data talking about it when they entered that turbulence patch a few months ago. Back then it had been a false alarm, but now she knew it was the real thing:

Bellus.

A chill shot down her spine and her pulse quickened as she stared at the spectacle from her lonely viewpoint, completely transfixed. Suddenly she noticed that the gas ‘atmosphere’ was rising rapidly, dividing and forming into hideous swirling non corporeal entities. Almost like gigantic swathes of gaseous cloth. So this was it, the myth and the concept – the Belloids.

They were heading straight for the ship.

“Oh my fucking stars…”

A whole raft of scenarios flooded through her brain at once - had the rest of the crew seen this? They must have. Did they know she was down here and if so would anyone come to find her? Pass. Most importantly where had Leki disappeared to and would he care enough to rescue her? 

Mel did not have time to consider any of this much further as a massive swirling swathe of smoky matter had shot through the hull plating and was propelling itself towards her, like ink hitting water and the pigment spreading out in a gradient effect. 

Transfixed by the awful fascination of horror, she became aware of a sucking sensation, of tendrils slithering like a Gaiian rattlesnake over her skin, across her neck and chest, constricting her. It felt like the summoning up of death itself.

Her mind became weighted down with a terrible sensation of hopelessness and utter morbid dread. Then she lost consciousness and sunk into a deep infinite void.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the cliffhanger has arrived! Will Mel survive? And can the crew of the Papillon escape from the Belloids safely and in one piece? Stay tuned!


	22. Obscured By Clouds/Don’t Leave Me Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ship's crew bargain with the Belloids, Mel is rescued and in the aftermath emotion is running VERY high

On the bridge the huge dark orb of the rogue planet loomed menacingly into the viewscreen.

“Oh shit, freaking bloody stars!” Growled Calloway at the helm, but his bold expletives belied his fear. “Surely not. No it can’t be. Is this?”

“Yes, Bellus.” Confirmed Data tightly, his mouth drawn in a thin line. "It appears it was cloaked by some means." 

At that moment the ship shook and lurched heavily as it took a hit, but no weapons could be seen.

Their klaxon sounded, for the first time since they embarked on the journey and it was clear this was a grave situation.

“Should we fire on them?” asked Rigby.

“No!” Replied Data, his voice raised – a first for him. 

“Then what?”

“We try to communicate” Data answered returning to his usual measured tone.

“Do you know how?” Rigby sounded sceptical.

“I have the rudiments of their language. It is not the same as that of a corporeal body and is similar to the shapeshifters. The gerunds and syntax is difficult but so long as we can make ourselves understood…”

There was a dull explosion and Rigby flew to the engine bay where sparks and smoke began to billow out of a shattered control station, while Data switched from console to console trying to get schematics and details of this race in the attempt to avert an attack which would clearly cost them the ship and even their lives.

Sensing the severity of the situation, Ora who was in the rest area with B4 blanched with terror while her boyfriend sensing her distress tried to maintain his composure but was clearly about to sob. Ora suddenly became aware of Mel’s absence “Stay here,” she ordered B4, who was by now visibly snuffling, ”Go to our cabin.” 

She then raced down to the cargo bay and found her friend enveloped by a massive inky black sceptre which seemed to have no actual form but was billowing like a huge swathe of dirty ragged cloth. Ora almost froze in terror but managed to stumble back up to the bridge and grab Leki, who had just appeared from the shuttle bay, “Please, it’s Mel, she choked, “You must help - she is down there with this..thing.”

“Where?” He barked, almost impatiently.

“Cargo bay. But –“ 

Before she could say anything else, he pushed past her and ran down blindly, but stopped dead in his tracks at the spectacle before him. Despite being of an artificial nature, he immediately felt the horror of seeing someone he loved being trapped like this.

He knew he could not fight the creature, though being synthetic he stood more chance than his organic crewmates, but that was not going to help. He ran back up and grabbed Data by the arm. “Have you managed to decipher their language yet?”

“I have almost, why?”

“Data - Mel is in the cargo bay. She is trapped and possibly being killed by a Belloid”

“One is on the ship?” Rigby inquired, their voice laced with panic.

“YES!” roared Leki, suddenly frustrated at the fractured apathy of his crewmates, “We need to do something NOW!  
“Data, do you have any ideas how we can overcome the Belloid?”

“They are averse to hot steam,” he replied laconically. “I have checked all the specifications of this ship - just as you reach the bottom of the steps leading to the cargo area there are two pipes running to one of the main plasma conduits, take the left side one and wrench it free, then try to aim the steam at the entity. It sounds very basic but it will work. Do not cause it harm, you just need enough to let it release Melissa and allow you bring her to safely.”

‘Just like that’, the android thought grimly and fled back down to cargo hoping he wasn’t too late. This was something that would require absolute precision and timing, something only someone of his kind was capable of.

He found the creature in the same aspect as he had left it, hovering and pulsing gently, as if a breeze was blowing through its filthy ragged form, its tendrils maintaining a firm hold on Mel.  
He looked to the bulkhead and saw the two pipes running vertically down it. Using his immense strength he grabbed the left side one and wrenched it free with his right hand, directing it rapidly away from his person as steam hissed out forcefully. He could feel it burning the bioplast on his hand as he twisted the pipe to aim at the creature. 

Sure enough as the hot jet of steam hit the Belloid, it began to billow wildly then shrink back. The tendrils unravelled from Mel’s wrists and neck and she dropped to the floor with a dull thud, limp and lifeless. With lightning speed Leki reached forward and snatched her up, then tearing up the metal steps closed the heavy door behind him and headed straight to the recess used as sickbay. 

His expression was one of a broken man, he could not hide his distress. He loved this woman and the dreadful thought of what the outcome of this attack on her might be tore into him.  
He felt a strange sensation from his burned hand and looked briefly at the scorched bioplast, but he was confident he could still function. He just had to keep his emotions under control and stay calm. 

He grabbed a tube of expanding foam located near the main engineering console and sealed the door so the Belloid could not access bridge that way, though he knew it could still do so from another direction. Everything now depended on Data being able to communicate with the Belloids to stop their onslaught.

Ora had gone to comfort B4 who was howling uncontrollably. “Fine head of security he would be!” Leki fleetingly thought, remembering Mel’s recollection of him on Coppelius.  
However he had no time to ruminate on such frivolous matters - he had something much more urgent to attend to. He grabbed his medkit and taking out a tricorder ran it over Mel’s still body. She was alive – just. To his relief he detected a heartbeat and very shallow breathing, her wrists were badly lacerated from the grip of the Belloid’s tendrils and her windpipe had suffered similar damage. 

He took a brain scan and noted trauma and a drop in synaptic activity, that was what the bastard thing had been doing – sucking the life out of her. Unfortunately there were limited resources on this ship and Leki bit his lip tensly as he went through everything, hoping that he could find and set up what he needed to save her life - using his single damaged hand.

In spite of his handicap Leki managed to hurriedly attach a saline drip and fit a respirator. He used a hypospray to put Mel into an induced coma to reduce the swelling on her brain to hopefully allow her functions to return. That was as much as he could do for now, it was all a case of watch and wait.

At that moment Leki heard an elated shout of “Yes!” from Data at the communications station, it was the most emotion Leki had ever seen him demonstrate and for good reason – he had finally managed to break the difficult code of the Belloids complex language. 

Things were now critical as three more of the creatures had approached the ship and were circling it menacingly. Data put out a hail to the planet:  
“Planet Bellus. This is the Papillon. We are seeking passage to the edge of the sector. What is the reason for you attacking our ship and our crew?”

There was an agonising pause, then a reply came, slow, cold and almost macabre, not from any visible corporeal being but actually from the swirling surface of the planet itself :  
“Ships come here only to steal from our world – they have no other reason as our lifeform is like nothing they have seen and our planet has broken its orbit. How do we know you are not the same?”

“We are not I can assure you honestly. All we ask is to be allowed to continue our journey peacefully.” Data announced calmly.

“We require absolute reassurance. What can you tell us?”

“Three of those on board myself included are artificial intelligence. We are on the run from the Federation and we are at war with organic life.”

“We have a good rapport with the Fellowship of AI. Are you in charge of this vessel?”

“Yes,” Data lied, “I and my brothers have control over the organics on this ship.”

“Who else is aboard?”

“One Bajoran, two Humans and one Gaiian female who is seriously injured. We have them held hostage and will be taking them to the Fellowship.”

“How can we be sure you are not lying?”

Leki had by now tied up Rigby, Calloway and Ora and holding a phaser to them paraded them in front of the comms screen. It had taken all his persuasion to get B4 to stop crying and wiping yellow tears from his face cajole him to look tough. Somehow he managed to convince them.

A beat passed and the Belloids began to retreat from the ship in a swirl of billowing ink-black gas and headed back to the surface of the planet.  
“You may go,” said the oily voice. “But only because of our respect for artificial life and its ideology. However I order you to stay away from our territory or next time we will kill you, be sure of it.”

“Thank You.” Replied Data in his most chillingly ominous voice. He certainly did it well.

The comms screen went blank and the ship was finally free to leave. The combined relief and astonishment on the faces of the Papillon’s crew at what had just taken place was a spectacle to behold. They could not believe Data had pulled it off with such aplomb. Now they knew why he was so arrogant and self-assured – the guy could sell raktajino to the Klingons.

Data took to the helm to check the impulse engines were online, he knew they couldn't go to warp due to the pipe Leki had ruptured. Satisfied everything was in working order he set a course to get them away from Bellus as quickly as possible at impulse speed, while Leki helped untie his hostages to let them return to their respective stations.

“Pity I did quite enjoy being dominant,” Leki joshed to his crewmates, revealing a comic dark side to his nature.

B4 meanwhile was reduced to tears again and Leki threatened to tie HIM up if he didn’t stop. “Ora, for stars’ sake, take him to your cabin and give him a sweet to suck on,” Leki quipped playfully.

He then went back to the biobed to check on Mel but to his horror was met with an even more appalling sight - blood was pooling onto the rubber sheet from underneath her thighs, darkening the crotch of her already torn bodysuit. He knew what was happening.

Reacting with lightning speed, he removed her clothing with a scalpel and staunched the bleeding with thick pads. He then passed the tricorder over her abdomen.  
“Shit!” 

What is it Mr Asha?” Data was alerted by Leki’s rare utterance of an expletive and after quickly setting the controls to autopilot jumped up from his seat to rush over to where the other android was attending his patient. 

“It’s Mel - she is haemorrhaging badly,” Leki replied apprehensively. ”I think she is having a miscarriage.”

Data’s expression turned hard and irascible, “Can you do anything? It is important this is saved. It is my child.”

Leki turned on him wearily, “It’s all about you isn’t it? Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful you got us out of that mess and saved the ship but you don’t care about her welfare do you?” Leki accused, gesturing to Mel. “She is just a receptacle for your experiments. To show you can create the Galaxy’s first hybrid organic/synthetic baby.  
“What were you going to do if she carried it full term?”

Silence. The two androids faced each other with antagonistic looks.

“Tell the truth Data.”

“I was going to inform Geordi LaForge our surrogate had birthed successfully, he would then resign from Starfleet and we would set up as family somewhere out of reach of the Federation.”

The disbelief showed in Leki’s face even though he suspected this had been the plan all along. “I thought as much.” He said bitterly.

Taking some surgical instruments and a tiny lighthead from his medkit Leki examined Mel internally and frowned. “The tissues are breaking away,” he confirmed.

“Wait – I need to go to my lab.” Data left swiftly while Leki stood vigil over Mel, monitoring the situation.

“Hurry up then.” He scolded. “I need to stop the bleeding quickly.”

When Data returned he was carrying a medium size specimen jar. “Please, let me have the foetus,” he requested in that even monotone. “I will then be able to study it to see how it was developing and confirm if Altan’s theory really did work.”

Leki complied, trying to disguise his heart-wrenching anger at this almost callous act, then once Data was gone set about cleaning up the mess and trying to cover Mel’s comatose body with a clean gown.

Although he tried to push it out of his mind, Leki could not help thinking that if Mel survived at least she would not have to worry about going through that emotional Hell anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a VERY hard chapter to write for so many reasons. The main one was making the alien adversary appear credible and then conveying the raw emotions which flow in the aftermath.  
> If I have managed to achieve just a fraction of this then I am happy.  
> Please leave kudos and comments even if you hate it - I always welcome feedback :¬D


	23. Behold The Temple of Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mel's comatose visions?

Mel awoke, or at least she thought she was awake. She saw she had been sleeping on some soft viscous pillowy form but could not identify its exact composition, except it had been incredibly comforting.

Opening her eyes fully she was now aware of being enveloped by a translucent light. It had a hauntingly ethereal feel. For a moment she thought she must have transcended into some sort of afterlife, but could not recollect how she got here. 

She certainly did not recognise where she was but it was clearly on a planet’s surface.

The opalescent mist lifted, revealing a sky with a horizon of deep indigo, fading to a wash of lilac in the upper stratosphere as if it was twilight.  
She was still not sure if it was real or a dream.

To her relief she found that she could move, so she arose and began to explore her strange new milieus. The surface of the land was flat, seemingly with no undulation. Looking around her however she could see nothing as far as the eye could see – no tree, no topographical features, no life. So she began to explore.

She felt the instinctive pull to proceed diagonally left. She walked for what seemed an age, but she did not get tired, nor did she feel heat or cold. It made her more convinced that this was some otherworldly dimension, but how or why she had arrived here remained a mystery. 

The inevitable nagged at her conscience. It was very likely she was dead. She remembered something traumatic and horrible had occurred but try as she might she could not recollect what it was. It was purely a terrifying physical sensation, with no detail ascribed to it. The sense of the unknown was horribly disturbing. 

After what seemed like two hours, although time seemed to have no significance, she saw something appear on the horizon. As she got closer she could see it was some sort of structure. Her stride increased as her anticipation grew. The structural form began to loom large. Finally she stood in front of what looked like a kind of temple. Tall glowing pillars and arches seemed to shimmer in a golden glow. It was undeniably beautiful.

Mel noticed the walls within the building were decorated with what appeared to be brilliantly coloured shards of glass and shells, but what mystified her was that it was not enclosed. In fact it was open to the elements on all sides. The golden light framed it like a halo.

Mel could perceive a faint humming, almost like a generator but with considerably more harmonious resonance to the invariable timbre. She then began to hear what seemed to be voices, soft and whispering at first, then as if chanting like the Prylars in the Bajoran temple Ora once took her to on Gaiia Prime.

Burning curiosity began to take over, compelling her to speak out: ”Where am I?” she ventured timorously, somewhat relieved that she still possessed the act of speech.  
Her voice echoed and died away through the void of the seemingly empty structure. A beat passed but there was no reply forthcoming. Nothing changed.

Undeterred she decided to use a more vernacular approach “Hello, is anyone there?”

This time the monotonous note altered, it vibrated louder, then its pitch evolving into a thin sweet hum, similar to the resonance of her meditational gong.   
Could it really be? No that was impossible. Mel thought rationally. Everything in religion was grounded in myth, it wasn’t fact. Myth, Mythos…? She smiled at the association. He had certainly not been an allegory….

She was swiftly brought to attention by a harsh yet whisper-like voice:  
“You are within the Venerated Parthenon Configuration.” The fact she could not see who or what the voice belonged to unnerved her.

“Who are you? Why am I here?” She demanded, seeking an end to her morbid curiosity.

“That is what I am going to tell you. I know you have suffered much in your life, but I hope what I say will enable you to make sense of it and conquer it.” 

Mel was annoyed that the voice declined to reveal its identity, but was somewhat assuaged.  
“Okay fire away,” she answered casually.

“We know your suffering – the death of your loved one, you were also carrying the seed of an ambition driven, vain adversary which you did not want, and you regret your lost opportunities of the past.”

“That is right but – “

“You think you will be dogged by bad luck all your life and that status que will never break unless you learn to quell and banish your destructive nature. You are aware that there is someone who carries great love for you in their heart.”

Mel quickly searched her memories, “Leki?”

“That is correct. You threw him away because your carnal desires outweighed the simple love he was offering you. I will offer counsel - you should have reined in your compulsive actions, been more astute in your judgement. That is your failing. It is what has held you back throughout your existence.”

“I realise that. I try to restrain it but I can’t help myself.”

“If you cannot then you will never find what you seek, that happiness and fulfilment with life. You will forever be trapped in the never ending helix of destruction and regret leading to your eventual downfall. Do you want that Melissa?”

“Hey, how do you know my name? How do you know so much about me? Oh never mind. No! Of course I do not want that. But what about Mythos? He made me happy and fulfilled, he was everything to me…”

“He was, but in the beginning even he received the end of your cruel suspicions. You feared his kind and so reacted with verbal aggression.” 

“I know but then I gave him everything, all of me. Was that not good enough?”

“You did the best you could,” the ghostly voice conceded.

“Then why did he have to die?” Mel felt the lump of grief surge up in her throat.

“Yes, the pain is still there isn’t it?” the voice acknowledged sensing Mel’s emotion, evidently through some divine empathic force. “That was an act of fate. You were in an irrational cyclical routine of love for one versus hatred and cruelty for others – you destroyed several of his kind in a perverse justification that his life outweighed theirs.

“Do you remember the slaying you carried out on Iona II?” Mel was startled by another voice, much more harsh and pejorative, joining this pseudo dispensation of justice.

“Yes,” Mel confessed ruefully, suddenly feeling a rush of shame, as she saw in imagination the twisted horror in the synths’ faces as she dismembered them and their broken hopeless devastation as they died from the blast of her disrupter.

“Was it your right to take their lives?” The second voice accused.

“No, I guess not,” Mel shrugged.

“They were related to your Mythos even if they did not have his superior talents and intellect.”

For the first time Mel began to understand that these beings might have had feelings and she had effectively destroyed them without any consideration, without compassion. Cold blooded.

“I can sense your guilt and remorse,” the second voice observed laconically.

“You were incapable of controlling your lust and wanton desires with the one called Data. The consequence of which was that you were trapped in a callous experiment by someone who has no feelings for you. He wanted you to bear a child for his own wishes. I can tell you however that his ambition has been thwarted.”

“How do you mean?” inquired Mel, clearly perplexed but feeling a glimmer of relief. However the obdurate voice declined to elaborate.

“So, what is there for me now?” Mel asked in obvious despair.

“That is up to you.” The first voice resumed. “One obstacle in your life is removed but there will be more, and the responsibility to reset the mistakes that you made lies with you. Yes it will involve struggle and hardship at times – no one has an easy path even if you might think they do. Avoid sinking into envy and hatred. It will not bode well.

“As I counselled earlier, you thought you were not loved but you are mistaken, embrace it, do not fight or cast it aside.”

The speech vaguely reminded Mel of an old Terran poem called ‘Desiderata’, but nevertheless it left her in turmoil. This was so much to take in, so much being thrown at her simultaneously.

The first voice continued, “You asked who we are, well it is simple, we are your own divine conscience. However we have said all that is needed to be said. Now go Melissa.”

“But wait, hey…” Her voice trailed off into nothing.

Just as in her normal dreams everything diminished around her, as if being washed away by water – the temple, the flawless landscape, the beautiful skyline. Her mind plunged into blackness, then as if coming to the surface after diving into a deep abyss, she gradually saw bright light, and instinctively let her mind follow it and reach for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a pure flight of fancy, but I imagine in her catatonic state Mel's life and moral character might be played out this way. She has so many past regrets, tragic events and so much unfinished business that this vision might simply be a way of her subconsciously evaluating and configuring it all?


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mel awakes to discover some unexpected surprises.

Mel’s eyes flickered open. Her vision was hazy. Her thoughts jumbled and disorientated. The immediate sensation to hit her was an intense dryness of her mouth and tongue, and a raging thirst. 

She coughed to clear the loathsome congestion and tried to move, but panic set in as she found this was impossible. She felt as if her body had suddenly assumed the collective mass of a ton of Gaiian lead. A myriad of lurid possibilities ran through her mind as she struggled to gain control.

Sensing her failure she tried desperately to reset her sight, but her vision remained blurry and unfocussed. She heard familiar voices around her which at first seemed distant and disengaged then as her torpor gradually dissipated like rising fog, they became closer and more distinct. 

“Where am I?” She ventured. Her enquiry was both abrupt yet weak.

“Take it easy,” a friendly voice answered, “You have been out several days. We were a bit worried at first, but –“ evidently her awakening was expected.

Mel now determined she was on the one bio bed in the tiny recess that served as a sick bay. She was relieved to find she was still on the ship, it had not been destroyed - unless this was another bizarre hallucination of course. She hoped it wasn’t.

She was able to make out several indistinct shapes moving around her, and gradually recognised Ora, then Calloway and Rigby along with a tall, seemingly beautiful figure leaning over her and smiling whom she did not appear acquainted with.

She vaguely knew their face but yet didn’t. Maybe her mind was still playing tricks on her and she was in some mythical Heaven and this was one of the celestial hosts calling her in? 

The being looking over her smiled again and sensing her inability to recognise him (it was a male?) said “Melissa, it’s me Leki, everything’s okay.”

She smiled back in response as everything slowly began to flood back, her desperate search for him in the cargo bay and then the attack by that…

“You saved me from it?” she asked with genuine wonder in her voice.

“Myself and Mr Data,” he confirmed, “Whatever we think of him he certainly knew how to persuade those bastards to back off. We were lucky!”

She nodded with a weak smile, “Remind me to thank him. Is he here?” Her tone was arch.

“No, he is carrying out repairs in engineering.”

Mel gave a weary but cynical smirk, “Hm, I thought as much, oh well, that is typical of him.” 

Her unfocussed gaze was sharpening rapidly now. The last of the blurriness receded and she was able to see Leki and concentrate on his appearance. He somehow looked quite different to how she remembered him last. Realisation dawned.

“Hey what’s this –???”

Mel could see that he was no longer bald, his bare scalp and his hat was replaced by dark hair cut in a very short tousled style.  
She was pleased yet incredulous simultaneously. “You daft Ha’path!”

“What?” Leki turned to her with a perplexed expression. Evidently he was not familiar with that term.

Mel grinned wider, “Your hair. You didn’t have to do it you know. You were fine the way you were.” 

“I wasn’t sure,” he said guardedly. “Besides I wanted my old look back.”

“I never saw it so I can’t comment,” she said plainly. “Never mind. It looks great.”

She tried to swallow but her throat was still dry and sore. her mouth was in her words ‘like a birds nest.’  
“Can you fetch me some water?”

“Sure.”

Leki replicated a glass and she drank it greedily. He had to request two more before she felt better.  
“Thank you. Can I sit up please? I want to get a good look at you…”

“Are you sure you can manage?” Leki inquired anxiously.

“Definitely.” Mel was feeling better by the second. Her recall had now flooded back and the horror of being trapped by a Belloid intruded unwelcome into her psyche like a gruesome horrific sceptre. “So how did you stop them?” She asked anxiously, keen to know how they escaped what she believed was complete obliteration.

“Radio frequencies and steam,” Leki answered simply. “I drove away the Belloid attacking you by ripping out a pipe and aiming a jet of hot steam at them which they don’t like. This sent it retreating enabling me to rescue you. Data then managed to put out some basic communications so we could reach an understanding. He used techniques which had been used to engage with the Shapeshifters and something called the Crystalline Entity. Thankfully it worked.”

“How did you manage to find me?”

“It was Ora,” Leki admitted with a wry smile. “She saw you rush down to the cargo bay so went looking for you. Data and Calloway meanwhile were trying to appease the Belloids from the bridge and the helm to buy us some time. Ora then came back up and alerted me. I drove the creature away then rescued you before it could attack again, and brought you here to sick bay. The thing had drained all the essence out of you and left you unconscious. You were in a coma for three days.”

“THREE DAYS?”

Mel blanched and her stomach lurched. She was both astonished and horrified. ‘So that was why I had those weird visions,’ she thought ominously, ‘It explains a lot of things….’

Leki meanwhile looked sad and rueful. “I am SO sorry. It was my fault. I never thought – “

“Please…I hurt you and you were angry and upset. You had a right to storm off.” She placed her hand over his reassuringly.

“No I didn’t. I should have talked to you. Waited for you to calm down. I selfishly interrupted an intimate moment.” Leki stopped and hesitated, his expression tight. “There is something else I need to tell you.”

“Yes?” She was lost for a moment but then quickly understood. In the bustle of activity she had forgotten that sword of Damocles hanging over her, the pregnancy.

“You are no longer carrying Data’s offspring, you had a miscarriage.” Leki told her solemnly.

With a measure of shame but overcome with relief, she asked softly, “What happened?”

“When you were brought up here and we stabilised you, I could see you were bleeding profusely. It was clear you were having a miscarriage. Data asked if I could induce it. I complied and then staunched the bleed. Data then took the foetus away to his lab.”

“Oh my stars that is so macabre,” Mel grimaced and looked visibly disgusted. 

“I agree.” Leki nodded sympathetically. “But for him I imagine it is simply a ground breaking and important experiment from which he wants to extrapolate evidential material to prove it works.”

“No doubt you’re right but still…”

Despite Mel knowing how she was used by Data it still made her uncomfortable that to him she had been little more than a petri dish in a laboratory. She wondered when he had conceived this idea, if he had sown the seeds way back under the guise of counselling her or had just hit upon the possibility when they had engaged in gratuitous sex. It was hard to say but the possibilities were chilling to say the least. 

A shadow of regret crossed Leki’s face once more as he relived the chaotic scenario of her looking for him in the cargo bay while he stayed deliberately out of reach. “Did you know we were actually on a wild goose chase with each other but I stayed ahead of you?” He admitted ruefully, “I can’t stop thinking about it and all the ‘what ifs’. You were so lucky I found you.” He buried his face in his remaining hand remorsefully.

“Leki please, you weren’t to know. Besides everything is fine now,” Mel reassured soothingly and for her it was - the termination of the pregnancy was a huge weight off her mind, she was recovering and Leki was with her. She took his hand, clasping it tightly in both of hers. “The Belloids - I think they snuck up on us unawares. Their planet - was it cloaked?”

“Yes,” he confirmed. “Their attack took us completely by surprise.”

“What was their reason for being so hostile?”

“It seems they have had ships trying to invade their world before to steal away its rich resources. They felt threatened when they saw us approach but their makeup as a species impels them to react aggressively rather than use diplomacy. As they are on a rogue planet which might be destroyed any time they have an overstated sense of self preservation.” 

“Strange….very strange,” she ruminated, staring at the red angry marks on her wrists. Then what happened?”

“They have respect for AI allegedly so we made out that we androids had taken all of you organics as hostages and were handing you over to the AI Fellowship. They seemed pretty impressed with this and it convinced them to let us go on our way.”

“Wow, that is some story. It would seem unbelievable if it wasn’t true. And I take it you are being truthful to me Leki?”

“Absolutely,” he affirmed, with a wide smile.

There was a pause then she tried to swing her legs over to the side of the bio bed to get up. She wobbled on her feet unsteadily.

“Careful Mel –“

Leki caught her safely in his arms and sat her down on the edge of the bed. Her own arms instinctively wrapped around him pulling him close. “I have missed you so much…” She said softly, with tears now forming behind her eyes.

Her emotions threatened to consume her as she melted into his embrace. She had not been so close to him even when they had danced together. He smelled of antiseptic and a faint ozone type odour. The scents of a medic. She lifted her face up to his and kissed his soft skin, grazing his lips teasingly until he surrendered and the kiss deepened, becoming heated and passionate. She tasted his sweetness. Her adorable, beloved cinnamon roll….

“I have missed you too,” he replied sincerely as they broke the kiss, his eyes full and wide, pupils blown.

In the embrace she was also aware of something pressing into her hips as he moved with her. Realisation dawned and she sighed almost with exasperation. “Leki you don’t need to use prosthetics to make me want you.”

“It isn’t a – “ His voice had a shade of indignation.

“Uh?” Mel interrupted, visibly confused.

“I had my sexual subroutines restored by Data the same time as he did the cosmetic repairs a few days ago. That time we….disagreed.”

“But – you still had your hat on when you caught me in the shower?”

“I know. I was going to surprise you. That was why I told you I could help you. You don’t have to resort to lonely acts of self gratification any longer Mel…..”

“Oh Leki,” Mel sighed, her heart literally melting. She felt the guilty stab of pain at how she had spoken to him and thinking of the strange vision in the temple wished she hadn’t been so quick tempered and destructive. “I really am so, so sorry,” she said full of contrition, her hands reaching up to stroke the back of his neck but astutely avoiding his short hair.

“Look our emotions were running high and we both acted rashly, we can’t turn back time but we can learn from this and make our bond stronger.” Leki consoled gently.

Mel nodded. “One thing I wanted to ask, how does it feel that smug superior Data who is fully functional and can procreate naturally carried out your repairs?”

Leki smiled, “I guess the same as if a pompous obnoxious medical doctor would fix you up if you got injured.”

Mel returned the smile. “Yeah, I didn’t think of that but your right. It doesn’t seem as crass when you look at it from that perspective.”

She rested her head on his shoulder and rubbed her hands over his back in soft circular motions. “I love you Leki,” she admitted openly. “And I don’t ever want to leave you.”

“Ditto,” Leki whispered and pulled himself closer. His arousal was still evident.

“Shall we take care of this?” Mel offered, expectantly.

Leki gave a wicked smile, “Oh I would agree in a picosecond if I didn’t know you were not in any fit state to consummate lovemaking at this moment. You really need to rest, we have plenty of time.”

“But – “ 

“Trust me Mel, I’m a doctor,” he grinned, and laughing they kissed passionately again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww....:-D


	25. The Happiest Days of Our Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story comes to a close, and for Mel and Leki the title of this says it all.

A week after the attack by the Belloids the Papillon finally encountered the ideal world they had been seeking. Well almost. Vogel XL5 was an M class planet but seemed to have global seasons rather than divisions dictated by its equator and its parallels. Ironically at the time of their arrival it was what appeared to be Winter.

The planetary features mapped out by the ship’s computer indicated that the area they had designated for the landing was in its Northern hemisphere. In fact Mel observed that it bore a striking resemblance to the breathtaking Nordic terrains on Earth with its impressive fjords cutting through the mountainous coast to deep inland, soaring mist capped mountains and clean cold air. 

She had seen these images from old photographs the Terran settlers had shown her, and often wondered what it was like in comparison to the more arid climate of Gaiia Prime.  
In spite of its chilly geographical aspect the crew was nevertheless relieved to put the ship in orbit and beam down. They were all really looked forward to an extended break – it was long overdue.

The world was inhabited by a species of genial humanoids, dark skinned with a single forehead ridge and wiry facial hair. Their demeanour was jovial like that of the northern Terran people who B4 had romanticised about in his recent chatter about Christmas. Mel found it poignant that the current stardate would likely coincide with that of the Terran festival. 

Data stayed aboard, not wishing to engage in such ‘sentimental whimsy’ as he termed it while the six remaining crew – Calloway, Rigby, Leki, Mel, Ora and B4 went down to the surface.  
As they all walked into the main settlement Mel was enraptured by the inherent quaintness of the location. It definitely exuded what B4 had read of and described as ‘Hygge’. There were squat dwellings with moss roofs, smoke curling from chimneys of the peat fires within. Mel could smell the fragrant smoke in the air and drank in the myriad other sights, sounds and smells of a bustling city. Yet it looked so incredibly antiquated while possessing contemporary technology at the same time. She could not help but smile. She had a feeling she was going to enjoy it here…..

“How is the happiness rating?” She turned to look at Leki with a blissful grin on her face.

“I confess I've never encountered anywhere like this before but have to say I really do like it,” He responded, mirroring her smile. “And I am incredibly happy.”

She hugged Leki, primarily to keep warm as unlike Gaiians he was incapable of feeling the cold but could give out heat. “I think we should look for some warm clothes for you,” he smirked mischievously “Then we need to join the others to find a place to stay.”

“Great, it’s a deal,” Mel said brightly through chattering teeth and they proceeded to explore the sprawl of tiny rustic stalls lining the busy streets, full of verbose activity. She briefly remembered her time on Freecloud with Data and decided this was much, much better.

Mel was now fully recovered from her ordeal with the Belloids, and while she still got tired a bit more than previously her strength had returned and everything else was functioning fine. She and Leki walked arm in arm. They were barely apart these days and it was evident to all (including Data) that they were unequivocally an item and nothing was going to tear them apart from each other. ‘Not this time. Not EVER’ Mel told herself resolutely.

They bought beautifully knitted sweaters, thick and warm yet incredibly soft, along with roomy canvas coats that looked heavy but were actually featherlight and incredibly warm. Mel completed the transaction with a couple of her carvings.

Leki then stopped at a stall selling natural stone jewellery. He pointed out a bracelet with translucent polished stones. To Mel they looked like the shades of the mountains and the water surrounding them. “It’s stunning,” Mel admitted candidly.

“This is for you,” He said, and he took it in exchange for a couple of his delicate medical tools, before making a show of placing it on her wrist next to Mythos’s latinum bracelet. She smiled gratefully.

“Thank you, I absolutely love it.” she said with a joyous smile before pulling him close in an unashamedly passionate kiss, inciting awkward looks from the stall owners who were evidently not used to such public displays of affection. 

The others meanwhile had found a quiet hotel complex not far from the waterside and were about to check in. As Mel and Leki joined them she felt a glow of absolute serenity course through her, along with bursting pride for her attractive, considerate lover, “You are the best,” she declared her thoughts out loud to Leki as they walked hand in hand into the warm, cheerful interior of the charming hotel. 

"Thank you and so are you Mel. You mean the world to me." His words moved her as no one had ever said anything so adoring and attentive to her EVER, and that included Mythos.

The crew convened together to enjoy a meal of real organic food which tasted wonderful after enduring the replicated dishes aboard the ship.

“I really love the fish,” Ora enthused, as B4 sat silent and smiling next to her imbibing his usual cup of nutrient biofluid, “I have never had fish before – it’s fantastic.”

“I agree,” added Rigby, skilfully deboning theirs before tucking in voraciously. Calloway meanwhile was attacking his with great gusto, but evidently shared their view.

Mel and Leki had both ventured to try something called ‘reinstek’ which was a type of elk roasted and sliced. Neither of them ate meat very often but had made an exception in honour of their hosts and while as an android Leki was indifferent to most dishes he did admit that this was exceptional.

Mel also noticed that the native wine was flowing rather freely, causing much revelry among the party.

“Now we should have a toast,” announced Calloway spontaniously. And he rose from his seat to make a rousing speech:  
“Ladies, androids and fellow crewmen. I know this has been a challenging experience for everyone on this humble little ship. Little did I know when Mel Rondor came aboard how much she would shake up and change our way of life. I and Elim were ex Starfleet having resigned our commissions. Mel joined us after a tragic incident on the Ibn Majid. We went through scrapes and spills, tears and tantrums, she brought her friend Ora along for moral support in the shadow of her disappointment. Then following the synth ban our wonderful Ms Rondor did a favour for some mad scientist and brought two androids aboard. Chaos ensued. Then two became three as we were joined by the charismatic Leki Asha."

There was a collective giggle.

“Things haven’t been easy, there has been friction and conflict among us, notably between Mel and our absent friend Mr Data. We have encountered a hostile all-pervading species which threatened to bring about our Ms Rondor’s demise but she fought back tempestuously and has now become inseparable from Mr Asha here.  
So without any further kerfuffle and hoo-hah, I ask you to drink a toast to Melissa Rondor, the one and only super resilient self confessed space gypsy.”

There was a collective roar and clink of glasses as the crew toasted Mel, and she turned pink with embarrassment, covering her face bashfully. She in turn lifted her glass and announced her own toast “To the good ship Papillon, without which I never would have had this incredible life changing experience! And to you one and all I salute you..."

Everyone gave a rousing cheer as they raised their glasses to the ship and merriment continued way into the night, though before Mel went too far Leki whispered in her ear reminding her not to get too drunk. She kept her word. There was some important business to attend to later on….

*****************************************

The room allotted to Mel and Leki was cosy with simple furnishings, crocheted throws and rustic ornamentation and artwork. It had a window facing across the misty snow capped mountains in the distance, but it was dark at this time and they had something else on their minds much more important than admiring the view.

They kissed as soon as they got through the door and Mel decided to try out the playful trick of flicking her tongue over the tip of his nose before blowing in one nostril, the same as she had done with Mythos on Gaiia. To her pleasant surprise Leki gave a delightful giggle - but while Mythos had been bemused, his twin seemed to recognise it immediately as a quirky endearment.  
Mel broke their kissing session to catch her breath and happened to glance out of the window. The sight which met her took her breath away.

“Look!” she gestured excitedly to Leki who came to join her. Over the mountains in the distance a myriad of swirling purples and greens glowed and flashed in the blackness of the sky. 

“That's fantastic.” Gasped Leki, equally enraptured by the spectacle.

“It is like the aurora which is viewed on Terran and on the poles of Gaiia Prime.” Mel explained. 

“I know. It's the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by solar winds,” added Leki educationally.

“Yeah alright clever clogs. But it also reminds me a little of that spectacular nebulous cloud we saw from the viewpoint on the ship’s cargo bay.”

Leki smiled, remembering the incident fondly, “It does.”

He bent his head to kiss her, his eyes lowered and his lips configured in a slight smile. Mel leaned into him and received the kiss gratefully.

Just as Leki had instructed they had abstained from making love until Mel was well and strong enough, so now the time had come they were both literally wired.  
They laughed in the act of their kiss and then collapsed together on the bed. Then they paused to look at one another seriously. Now that the time had finally come Mel felt they were like naive youngsters trying out physical for the first time, and were suddenly at a loss how to proceed.

“Can you touch me please?” Leki's incongruous invite surprised Mel, it was both reticent and shy as if he feared rejection. 

“Yes, of course.” 

Mel complied to his request, first stroking the curve of his cheekbones, then tracing her fingers over his slightly parted lips and his jawline. She ran her hands down his clothed torso then lifted up his sweater to massage his hard muscular abdomen. She reverted to gentler caresses, trailing her hands down to his waistline and letting them linger on that spot with featherlight touches, paying attention to the fine line of dark curls that trailed down from his pseudo navel into his pants.

She knew how to turn him on slowly and seductively, and he responded with deep involuntary sighs of pleasure. 

She quickly noticed his arousal. It triggered a fluttering sensation inside her as she gently ran her hand over the bulge tenting his pants. He moaned deeply, his hips arching up to indulge in her touch. 

You are enjoying this?” Mel asked.

“Yes most definitely. I have been denied too long.” He confessed plainly.

“Have you had sex before?” 

“Only once, before Maddox robbed me of sexuality.” It was a bold admission.

He openly stated he had the emotional capacity to feel desire but not the means to fulfil it. Now he was making up for that and it was clear that the overwhelming urge to satisfy both himself and his partner was consuming his sensory pathways and his very being. 

Conversation between them ceased as they focussed on validating their intense love for each other.

Leki removed his sweater and Mel slowly unfastened his pants, easing them down his hips. He kicked off his boots and shed his socks effortlessly. In just his undershirt and shorts he looked vulnerable but extremely beautiful. Mel could not wait to see his body in all its glorious nakedness, but first she had other ministrations to attend to. 

She let her fingers roam over his shoulders and upper back, scratching the smooth bioplast with her nails, then proceeded to kiss him in soft butterfly touches from his collarbone to his breastbone and down to exquisitely defined pecs, impelling him to pause and tug off his undershirt with urgency.

Mel sighed as she took in the sight of fully exposed sculpted torso, exactly like Mythos yet not, because this was a person in his own right not a carbon facsimile. 

Reaching inside his shorts, Mel carefully took hold of his penis. To her delight he was as well proportioned as his twin. She enjoyed the sensation of stroking the length from the base along the corpus spongiosum to his hard glans, eliciting a stifled moan from her lover in response. 

She began fondling his member in long even strokes, alternate gently then firmly. His hips bucked at the pleasurable sensation and his face clearly showed the indescribable ecstasy he was feeling. His pace increased as he moved into her fist, then finally he uttered a breathless "Please..." shuddering hard, he climaxed and his warm sticky ejaculate coated her hand.

Mel brought her fingers to her mouth and licked each one slowly and seductively, predictably his cum tasted of cinnamon. Leki's cock hardened again almost immediately at the erotic sight.  
It was a signal for him to enter her. To finally connect. 

Leki took her from behind, in order to go deeper into her. His technique was slow and deliberate at first then gathered momentum, lifting his partner to an intoxicating high. Mel simply let herself go and basked in the absolute candour of it, knowing that there was no hidden agenda, no using her as a vessel for release. His intention was true and genuine. She loved him - more than anything in the entire Universe.

The release when it came was a beautiful surge of white hot pleasure juxtaposed with a warm healing balm. There was no hungry lust but they did not want it or need it. This was perfection.  
“This is true love,” Leki said huskily, before kissing Mel’s forehead tenderly.

For some time after their completion, they lay together, their limbs entwined and silently contemplative. Leki was the first to speak. “So did I meet up to your expectations?” he inquired cautiously, apprehensive as to her appraisal of his performance.

“My darling you didn’t meet them you exceeded them exceptionally.” Mel answered as she nuzzled into his chest.

“What will we do now? You know in the future?”

“Mmm, I think we can stay here for a while, I believe the others will be here for a couple of weeks at least. We can just hang out and relax together – walk, go fishing, just stare at the scenery. We can do anything we darned well please…”Mel said luxuriantly, stretching like a cat to emphasise her words.

“And make love?” Leki asked.

“Yes and make love – all the time!” Mel smiled.

“What then?”

“That my darling is something I have not yet planned but it is up to us. I think that our friend Mr Data would say that the past is written but the future is left for us to write. And my sweet adorable cinnamon roll we have the tools and the power and the means to do it.”

“Speaking of Data, what do you think he’ll do now?” Leki inquired curiously.

“Who freekin’ cares?” Mel giggled and pulled him towards her, wrapping their combined bodies in the thick crocheted throw on the bed. 

The future lay before them that was sure but right now it was going to be a long, long night……

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that is it and I am out of here! For those few who stuck with this I hope you enjoyed it and I thank you for your comments and feedback. For now however I am taking a sabbatical from writing.  
> I will check in from time to time in case any comments are left (I am always happy to discuss my work) but as I get mostly radio silence I concede this might not happen too often. Once again to those who have taken time to read thank you x 1000 for your support :¬D


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